3  1822  00184  9215 


>rPJZOTTo 


ipTrn-,. 


'^?'ii^:!;i!,i^!!'' 


ICTICP 

Has  Removed  One  of  Al- 
i  Leading  Bankers  and  Plill- 
ipisl3-Was81  Years  Old 

IT.  COLONEL  IN  CIVIL 


a    President    of    Mechanics    and 
ners    Bank    in    March,    1880, 
icceeding    His    Father,    the 
ate  Thomas  Worth  Olcott. 


death  of  Dudley  Olcott  at  his 
u  the  old  Ten  Broeck  mansion 
ay  morning  removed  one  of  Al- 
leading  bankers  and  pJiHan- 
ts.      Mr,    Olcott   was   81    years 


Dudley  Olcott. 

'■  he  was  aetiyely  engaged  in 
until  stricken  with  his  fatal 
vhich  was  pneumonia.  On  Fri- 
was  at  the  Mechanics  and 
1  bank,  of  which  he  had, been 
t  for  many  years,  and  wiis  re- 
home  when  the  first  signs  of 
ss  appeared.  He  complained 
.   nneumonifi   nuioUlir  /lowoii-n^oft 


I'uiuui.  ^x,  xooo,  iiic  Bon  oi  .inoman 
Worth  and  Caroline  Pepoon  Olcott. 
Ho  received  his  early  training  at  the 
Albany  Boys'  academy  and  later  en- 
tered the  Rensselaer  Polytechnic,  in- 
stitute at  Troy,  where  he  was  gradi^ 
atcd  83  an  engineer,  but  noi\-er  prac- 
tised that  profession.  His  entire  life's 
work  waa  passed  in  the  Mechanics  and 
I'^afmers  bank,  which  he  entered  in 
18.jS  as  an  accountant,  a  position  he  i 
held  for  seven  years,  after  which  ho 
became  assistant  cashier. 

Succeeded  His  Father. 
On   Dec.   31,   1878,    he   was   chosen 
vice  president     of     the     bank  and  in, 
March,  18S0,     was     elected  president, 
succeeding  his  father. 

The  connection  of  the  Olcotts,  both 
father  and  ecto,  with  the  bank,  covers 
a  period  of  108  years,  84  years  oi 
which  .saw  one  of  them  in  the.  presi- 
dent 3  chair. 

Mr.  Olcott  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war  and  won  the  rank  of  lieutenant 
colonel  He  was  abroad  at  the  out- 
break of  the  war,  but  r'^turned  to  the 
United  States  in  1862  and  entered  the 
2oth  New  York  Volunteers,  with  the 
rank  of  captain,  under  Colonel  Johns- 
ton. He  was  made  brevet  major  and 
j.ater  Jdeutenant  colonel  for  iservice 
at  the  battle  of  Chancellorville,  and 
after  serving  two  years  with  the 
Lnion   armj',   retired. 

In  1S67  h'j  was  appointed  paymaster  gen- 
eral of  Now  York  state  by  GoTemor  renton 
and  serred  in  that  capacity  for  several  years 
He  also  served  the  city  of  Albany  as  park 
commtss'oner,  having  'been  in-c3ld«nt  and 
treasu!i>er  of  that  couimisalon. 

Was  Never  Married. 

Srr.  Olcott  is  the  .last  of  a  lon«  direct' 
line  of  Olcotts.  He  Tiever  married,  and  Is 
WHTlved  by  only  three  nephews,  Marvin 
Olcott  of  Ctomlng,  Dudley  Olcott,  2nd  of 
New  Y-or;!,  and  Kobert  Olcott  of  Albany 
For  the  last  70  yc-ars  h&  lived  In  the  old  Ten 
Jiroeck  mansion  at  9  Ten  Broeck  place,  having 
moved  there  from  his  birthplace  In.  North 
Pearl  street  when  a  boy. 

Outside   of   his   baaluess   life,   he  vaa  an 
ard«!nt  sportsman,  lespecla-lly   in  fishing    and 
every    summer    for    the    last    40    years    He 
passed  fli  Camp  Albany  on  the  Kestlgouche  I 
river  In  Canada. 

Mr.  Oilcott  took  an  acrtlro  Interest  tu 
charitable  organizations,  and  made  ganerx>us 
donations  to  such  InstJtutlans.  He  serTed 
cu  the  board  of  ijoveniors  of  the  Albanv 
hospital,  waE  president  of  the  Albany  Cerae"- 
tory  association,  trustee  ^  the  Home  for 
Aged  Men,  trustee  of  the  Abany  Orphan 
;isylumi  ajid  thid  Albany  Academy  for  Girls 
He  was  interested  in  tlie  social  life  of 
Albany  and  was  conected  with  the  Tort 
Orange  ciub,  the  County  club,  the  AUiany 
club  and  other  organizations.  He  was  also  i 
a  member  of  the  MU.tsrv  Order  of  Loyal  i 
Legion  and  the  Metropolitan  Union  League 
and  Down  Town  clubs  of  Xew  York.  I 

A  meeting  of  the  board  of  governors  of 
the  Alt»any  hospiltal  c€  which  Mr  Olcott 
w;(^  a  member  was  postponed  vesterdav 
out  of  respect  to  Jlr.  Olcott.  Tho  board  I 
'•f.rpd  to  attend  fh-^  fui.eral  in  a  body  Jlr  I 
Olcott  Is  the  tftlFd  ft3-.mber  of  the  board 
to   die   m   the    last   year,   the   others   haviju' 

OLCOTT — On   Sunday,  Dec.  28.   Iftlf*  ; 
I>udipv      Oli'orr.    Kon     nf     ti.«     i-*„'  i 


tn 

^  >  '.a 

*     I—  >o 

5=ft  <>2 


2 


8 


f  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  SAN|D1E^^  ^ 


.A 


w^*- 


Central  University  Library 

University  of  California,  San  Diego 
Note:  This  item  is  subject  to  recall  after  two  weeks. 

Date  Due 


JUL2^  iqq? 

CI  39  (1/91)                                                                    UCSDLib. 

ra:^dom 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  ALBANY. 


From  1800  to  1808: 


By  GORHAM   a.  WORTH 


THIRD  EDITION, 


NOTES  BY  THE  PUBLISHER. 


ALBANY,   N.  Y.: 

J.  MUNSELL,  78  STATE  STREET. 
1866. 


PUBLISHER'S    NOTE 


"While  the  Annals  of  Albany  were  in  the  course  of  publication,  I 
leamed  that  Mr.  Gorham  A.  Worth,  president  of  the  City  Bank  of 
New  York,  had  written  some  reminiscences  of  Albany ;  where- 
upon I  wrote  to  solicit  the  contribution  of  them  to  my  work.  He 
replied  that  they  were  unsuited  to  my  purpose,  but  he  would  soon 
call  upon  me  with  a  view  to  their  separate  publication.  Happen- 
ing to  be  absent  when  he  called,  the  work  fell  into  other  hands. 
The  first  edition  in  1849  was  comprised  in  a  thin  pamphlet,  but 
was  soon  followed  by  an  enlarged  work,  embracing  BecoUections  of 
Hudson.  Both  were  pubhshed  by  Mr.  C.  Van  Benthuysen,  in  an 
attractive  style  of  typography.  The  last  edition  appeared  in  1850, 
and  has  long  been  out  of  print.  The  author  died  in  1856,  aged  73. 
I  have  been  unable  to  obtain  any  information  concerning  his  per- 
sonal history  from  his  descendants,  but  learn  that  his  fether  went 
from  Nantucket  to  the  district  in  Dutchess  county  then  known  as 
the  Nine  Partners,  and  afterwards  taught  school  in  Hudson.  Mr. 
Worth  says  of  himself:  "  Though  born  on  Quaker  hill,  I  have 
still  been  in  the  habit  of  considering  Hudson  as  my  native  town, 
for  the  reason  that  my  earliest  recollections  date  from  that  place." 
He  was  fifteen  years  of  age  when  he  removed  with  his  lather's 
family  lo  Hudson,  and  was  about  twenty  when  he  came  to  Al- 
bany, soon  after  which  he  was  appointed  teller  of  the  New  York 
State  Bank,  then  a  new  institution.  When  the  Mechanics  and 
Farmers'  Bank  went  into  operation,  in  1811,  he  was  appointed 
its  first  cashier,  and  brought  with  him  his  kinsman,  Mr.  Thomas 
W-  Olcott,  who  has  continued  in  the  institution  ever  since,  and 


VI  PUBLISHER  S   NOTE. 

not  only  long  since  attained  to  its  highest  office,  but  has  made  for 
himself  a  reputation  of  the  higliest  order  as  a  financier.  In  1817 
Mr.  Worth  went  to  Cincinnati  to  take  charge  of  a  branch  of  the 
United  States  Bank.  It  is  supposed  that  he  remained  there  about 
five  years,  as  in  1851  he  published  a  similar  work  to  this,  which 
he  entitled  Recollections  of  Cincinnati  from  a  Residence  of  Five  Tears, 
1817  to  1831.  He  then  removed  to  New  York,  where  he  acquired 
wealth,  and  maintained  a  high  position  in  society.  In  this  pre- 
liminary note  it  is  not  in  point  to  speak  of  the  work  critically. 
An  octogenarian  of  the  city,  Mr.  John  Q.  Wilson,  animadverted 
upon  some  portions  of  it  in  the  newspapers  of  the  day ;  his  ob- 
servations will  be  found  in  notes,  with  his  initials  attached.  The 
sketch  of  Matthew  Gregory  was  written  by  the  late  Dr.  Willard. 
The  remaining  notes  have  been  prepared  by  the  publisher,  with 
a  view  more  particularly  to  illustrate  the  personal  history  of  the 
characters  mentioned  by  the  author,  and  to  note  the  time  of 
their  respective  deaths.  It  is  an  interesting  though  melancholy 
fact,  that  of  all  the  persons  mentioned  by  him,  the  venerable  Dr. 
Nott  alone  survives  at  the  time  of  issuing  this  edition. 


NOTE    TO    SECOND    EDITION. 


To  the  Publisher: 

Agreeably  to  your  request,  though  not  without  some  misgivings,  I  send  you, 
herewith,  a  few  additional  pages  of  Bandorn  Recollections.  It  would  be  easy 
to  fill  a  volume  with  such  scraps  as  these ;  but  to  do  justice  to  the  subject 
would  require  more  time  than  I  can  now  conveniently  spare.  The  ground  is 
to  be  carefully  surveyed,  prior  to  any  act  of  occupation.  There  are  many 
choice  anecdotes  that  cannot  yet  be  told ;  many  amusing  scenes  that  cannot, 
with  propriety,  be  described;  and  a  long  list  of  original  characters,  that  it 
would,  even  at  this  distant  date,  be  premature  to  sketch.  Still,  there  are  ma- 
terials enough  within  the  rule  of  right,  to  satisfy  all  reasonable  curiosity ;  some 
little  time,  however,  is  indispensable  to  their  collection  and  judicious  arrange- 
ment for  exhibition.  But  the  novelty  of  the  thing,  I  apprehend,  has,  in 
some  measure,  worn  off,  and  unless  the  future  recollections  should  be  of  a  bet- 
ter quality  than  those  I  now  send  you,  it  would  be  as  useless  to  continue  the 
work,  as  it  would  be  to  republish  the  original  copy  without  additions. 

To  the  handsome  style  in  which  the  thing  was  printed ;  to  the  liberality  and 
laudatory  tone  of  your  city  press,  and  to  the  good  nature  of  the  citizens  of 
Albany,  I  attribute  the  favorable  reception  and  ready  sale  of  the  first  edition. 
But,  it  should  be  remembered,  that  nothing  is  new  but  once,  that  liberality 
and  good  nature  may  be  over-taxed ;  and  that  the  recollections,  being  local  in 
their  character  and  limited  in  their  range,  can  excite  little  or  no  interest  be- 
yond the  confines  of  your  city.  But  the  risk  and  expense  of  publication  are 
yours,  and  if  you  really  think  it  worth  while  to  try  the  town  with  another  edi- 
tion, the  few  scraps  I  send  you  may,  perhaps,  authorize  the  printer's  devil  to 
insert  in  the  title  page,  the  catching  phrase,  with  additions ;  and  to  strengthen 
this  important  anuouucement,  I  place  at  your  disposal  an  entire  new  batch 
(written  some  two  years  since),  entitled  Recollections  of  Hudson.  These,  you 
may  publish  separately,  or  together  with  their  Albany  relatives  (or  not  at  all), 
as  you  may  think  best.  I  have  no  wish  other  than  that  you  should  not  lose 
money  by  the  idle  sketchings  of  my  pen. 

Your  friend  and  ob't  serv't, 

IGNATIUS  JONES. 

JoNESBURGH,  January,  1850. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  ALBANY. 


The  election  of  Mr.  Jefferson  to  the  presidency, 
produced  a  new  era  in  the  political  history  of  men 
and  things  throughout  the  United  States.  So  great 
was  the  change,  and  so  sudden  the  turn  of  the 
executive  wheel,  that  the  event  was  felt  through  all 
the  ramifications  of  society,  and  the  period  became 
as  memorable  as  that  of  the  birth  of  the  nation. 
Many,  even  at  the  present  day,  refer  to  it  in  their 
computations  of  time,  as  to  one  of  those  fixed 
periods,  which  are  alike  familiar  to  the  learned  and 
unlearned.  It  is,  indeed,  one  of  those  chronological 
meridians,  from  which  we  calculate  the  degrees  of 
time,  advancing  or  receding  as  the  case  may  be. 
Thus,  instead  of  saying,  "  in  the  year  1801,"  or  "  at 
the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century,"  we  say, 
"at  the  period  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  election."  Either 
phrase  sufficiently  designates  the  time  referred  to  : 
the  choice  is,  of  course,  optional,  and  the  mode  of 
expression  a  mere  matter  of  taste. 
3 


18  Recollections  of  Albany. 

In  commencing  these  reminiscences,  I  prefer  to 
eay  that  my  first  visit  to  Albany  was  just  before  the 
election  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  or  the  Great  Apostle  as  he 
is  sometimes  called.  Not  that  the  visit  had  any 
thing  to  do,  either  with  the  election  of  Mr.  Jefferson 
or  the  fortunes  of  his  followers,  but  because  it  was 
an  epoch  in  my  own  personal  history,  as  the  elec- 
tion of  Mr.  Jefferson  was,  in  the  history  of  the 
country. 

I  had  then  just  launched  my  "  light  untimbered 
bark"  upon  the  ocean  of  life  ;  with  no  guide  but 
providence,  and  with  no  hand  but  my  own  to  direct 
its  course.  ITever  shall  I  forget  the  deep  feeling 
of  loneliness  that  came  over  me  when  the  receding 
headlands  of  my  native  bay  disappeared  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  I  found  myself,  for  the  first  time  in  my 
life,  alone  on  the  waters. 

It  was  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  in  the  autumn 
of  the  year  eighteen  hundred,  that  I  first  set  my 
foot  within  the  precincts  of  the  ancient  and  far- 
famed  city  of  Albany.  It  is  true,  I  had  passed 
through  the  city  some  ten  or  twelve  years  before, 
but  'twas  a  rainy  day,  and  in  a  covered  wagon ;  and 
as  the  only  glimpse  I  had  of  the  town  was  obtained 
through  a  hole,  in  the  canvas  I  set  it  down  as 
nothing,  since,  in  reality,  it  amounted  to  nothing. 
I  am,   however,   well   aware  that  an   intelligent, 


Recollections  of  Albany.  19 

sharp-sighted  English  traveler,  such  for  instance, 
as  Fearon,  Hall,  or  Marryat,  would  have  seen,  even 
through  a  smaller  aperture,  and  under  less  favor- 
able circumstances,  enough  to  have  enabled  him  to 
have  given  you,  not  only  the  exact  topography  of 
the  town  and  its  localities,  but  a  full  and  accurate 
account  of  its  different  religious  denominations, 
the  state  of  its  society,  the  number  of  its  slaves, 
and  the  character  of  its  inns ;  together  with  many 
sage  reflections  upon  the  demoralizing  tendency  of 
republican  governments ! 

But  this  faculty  of  taking  in  all  things  at  a  sin- 
gle glance :  this  ability  to  see  more  than  is  to  be 
seen,  is  one  of  the  many  advantages  which  the  Eng- 
lish traveler  possesses  over  all  others,  and  which 
in  fact  distinguishes  him  from  the  traveler  of  every 
other  country  on  the  face  of  the  globe  —  the  land  of 
Munchausen'-  not  excepted!     I  mention  these  things 

iHiEKONYMUS  Karl  Friedrick  Von  Mukchhausen  (pro- 
nounced Mink-lwusen,  instead  of  Mun-chawsen)  was  a  veritable 
German  baron,  and  a  cavalry  officer  in  the  service  of  Russia,  who 
in  his  old  age  delighted  in  repeating  the  most  wonderful  stories 
of  his  adventures  in  the  campaign  against  the  Turks  in  1737-39, 
which  grew  in  absurdity  by  repetition,  till  he  acquired  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  greatest  of  living  liars.  A  German  refugee  in  England 
first  gave  them  publicity  in  1785,  since  which  they  have  appeared 
in  different  languages,  and  attained  great  popularity.  The  baron 
died  at  Hanover  in  1797,  aged  77.  It  has  been  said  that  he  was 
in  Burgoyne's  army,  but  it  is  quite  a  mistake,  the  chaplain 
Munchhoff  in  Specht's  regiment  being  probably  the  person  mis- 
taken for  him.    See  ManseWs  Historical  Series,  vii,  IGo. 


20  Recollections  of  Albany. 

merely  to  satisfy  the  reader  that  I  might  have  made 

something  out  of  the  aflliir  of  the  covered  wagon, 

had  I  been  so  disposed.     But  'tis  not  my  intention, 

nor  was  it  when  I  commenced  these  reminiscences, 

to  draw  upon  my  imagination  for  a  single  fact.     I 

have  materials  in  abundance,  and  cannot,  therefore, 

be  tempted  to  go  out  of  my  way  to  recoiled  incidents 

which  never  happened,  or  to  describe  things  which  I 

never  saw. 

The  city  of  Albany,  in  1800,  though  the  capital 

of  the  state,  and  occupying  a  commanding  position, 

was,   nevertheless,   in   point   of  size,    commercial 

importance,  and  architectural  dignity,  but  a  third 

or  fourth  rate  town.     It  was  not,  in  some  respects, 

what  it  might  have  been ;  bat  it  was,  in  all  respects, 

unlike  what  it  now  is.     Its  population  could  not,  I 

think,  have  exceeded  some  seven  or  eight  thousand.^ 

^In  1688  Albany  was  supposed  by  the  Frencli  to  have  had  300 
mhabitauts  capable  of  bearing  arms.  The  population  in  1698 
was  379  men,  239  women,  and  803  children.  The  tables  of  popu- 
lation sometimes  dift'er  a  little,  the  Colonic  being  frequently 
counted  in  as  well  as  the  slaves,  who  were  nmnerous  at  the  close 
of  the  last  and  the  early  part  of  the  present  century. 

1790,    3,498.  1835,  28,109. 

1800,    5,387.  1840,  33,721. 

1810,    9,354.  1845,  42,139. 

1815,  10,023  1850,  50,7G3. 

1820,  12,630.  1855,  57,333. 

1825,  15,971.  1860,  621,367. 

1830,  24,209.  1865,  70,000  (estimated). 

There  is  now  a  population  of  200,000  within  the  bounds  of  a 
mile  along  both  margins  of  the  river  from  Cohoes  to  the  Nor- 


Eecollections  of  Albany.  21 

I  know  not  wliat  the  statistics  may  say,  nor  is  it  ma- 
terial, for  no  man  of  sense  puts  the  least  faith  in 
documents  compiled  by  politicians,  or  published  by 
authority.  Most  of  Uncle  Sam's  figurers,  particu- 
larly those  that  belong  to  the  treasury  department, 
figure  frequently  in  the  dark,  and  always  at  random. 
"With  them,,  the  addition  or  omission  of  a  cj^^her 
or  two  is,  it  would  seem,  of  but  little  consequence. 
Hence  their  statistics,  whether  elaborated  by  the 
imposing  genius  of  a  Woodbury  or  a  Walker,  go  for 
nothing  with  me.     But  to  the  subject. 

Albany  has  probably  undergone  a  greater  change, 
not  only  in  its  physical  aspect,  but  in  the  habits  and 
character  of  its  population,  than  any  other  city  in 
the  United  States.  It  was,  even  in  1800,  an  old 
town  (with  one  exception,  I  believe,  the  oldest  in 
the  country^ ),  but  the  face  of  nature  in  and  around 
it  had  been  but  little  disturbed.  Old  as  it  was,  it 
still  retained  its  primitive  aspect,  and  still  stood  in 

man's  kil,  a  distance  of  ten  miles,  being  tlie  largest  aggregation 
in  the  state  in  the  same  compass,  out  of  the  cities  of  New  York 
and  Brooklyn. 

1  Jamestown,  the  first  permanent  English  settlement  in  the 
United  States,  was  foimded  in  1607  bj^  10.5  colonists.  It  has  gone 
to  utter  decay,  containing  at  present  two  or  three  old  houses,  a 
dilapidated  church,  and  the  ruins  of  a  fort.  Albany,  it  has  been 
claimed,  became  a  trading  post  in  1610,  Although  a  rude  fort  was 
built  in  1612,  it  was  nearly  twenty  years  later  before  any  consider- 
able accessions  were  made  towards  a  settlement  by  the  introduc- 
tion of  families  and  domestic  animals. 


ALBANY    IN    1G96. 
Surrounded  by  a  wall  of  wooden  posts  ten  feet  liigh, 
1.  The  Fort.  7.  Blockhouses. 


2.  Butch  Calvinistic  Church. 

3.  German  Lutheran  Church. 

4.  Lutheran  burh^l  place. 

5.  Dutch  Chiu-ch  burial  place. 


8.  Stadt  House. 

9.  A  great  gun  to  clear  a  gulley. 

10.  Stockades. 

11.  City  gates,  six  in  number. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  23 

all  its  original  simplicity;  maintaining  its  quaint 
and  quiescent  character,  unclianged,  unmodified, 
unimproved :  still  pertinaciously  adhering,  in  all  its 
walks,  to  the  old  track,  and  the  old  form.  The 
rude  hand  of  innovation,  however,  was  then  just 
beginning  to  be  felt;  and  slight  as  was  the  touch, 
it  was  felt  as  an  injury,  or  resented  as  an  insult. 

Nothing  could  be  more  unique  or  picturesque  to 
the  eye,  than  Albany  in  its  primitive  days.  Even 
at  the  period  above  mentioned,  it  struck  me  as  pecu- 
liarly naive  and  beautiful.  All  was  antique,  clean, 
and  quiet.  There  was  no  noise,  no  hurry,  no  confu- 
sion. There  was  no  putting  up,  nor  pulling  down ; 
no  ill-looking  excavations,  no  leveling  of  hills,  no 
filling  up  of  valleys:  in  short,  none  of  those  villain- 
ous improvements,  which  disfigure  the  face  of  na- 
ture, and  exhibit  the  restless  spirit  of  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  race.  The  stinted  pines  still  covered  the 
hills  to  the  very  edge  of  the  city,  and  the  ravines 
and  valleys  were  clothed  with  evergreens,  inter- 
mixed with  briars,  and  spangled  with  the  wild  rose. 

The  margin  of  the  river,^  with  the  exception  of  an 

'  [It  is  said  that  tlicrc  were  docks  at  this  time  from  Maiden  lane 
to  the  Watering  place,  as  it  was  called,  noAV  the  Steamboat  land- 
ing. At  the  latter  place  was  Hodge's  dock,  and  above  it  the  State 
dock,  built  in  the  French  war.]  At  the  foot  of  Maiden  lane  was 
Fish  slip,  where  the  sturgeon  were  sold.  On  Quay  street  were 
stores  and  dwelling  houses,  and  a  tavern.  If  our  author,  when 
he  first  set  his  foot  in  this  "jewel  of  antiquity,"  had  taken  a  walk 


24  Recollections  of  Albany. 

opening  at  the  foot  of  State  street,  extending  down 
to  the  ferry,  was  overhung  with  willows,  and  shaded 
by  the  wide  spreading  elm.  The  little  islands 
below  the  town  were  feathered  with  foliage  down  to 
the  very  water's  edge,  and  bordered  with  stately 
trees,  whose  forms  were  mirrored  in  the  stream  be- 
low. As  far  as  the  eye  could  extend  up  and  down  the 
river,  all  remained  comparatively  wild  and  beauti- 
ful, while  the  city  itself  was  a  curiosity;  nay,  a  per- 
fect jewel  of  antiquity,  particularly  to  the  eye  of 
one  who  had  been  accustomed  to  the  "white  house, 
green  door,  and  brass  knocker,"^  of  the  towns  and 

to  this  world-renowned  sturgeon  slip,  "  a  little  after  sun  rise,"  he 
would  have  witnessed  a  scene  that  would  have  cast  the  willows 
and  elm  trees  into  the  deep  shade  of  a  forgotten  past.  There 
was  the  quiet  ancient  burger,  elbowed  aside  by  his  Old  and  New 
England,  Scotch  and  Irish  brethren,  more  clamorous  and  eager 
for  Albany  beef  than  himself  If  he  had  not  beforehand  entered 
into  a  confederacy  with  the  Etsbergers  and  Reckhows,  lords  of 
the  sUp,  he  must  infalhbly  have  gone  home  dinnerless  and  de- 
sponding. J.  Q.  w. 

^If  the  seer  had  looked  a  second  time,  he  would  have  seen  the 
simple  side  hiU  street,  the  grass  covering  the  east  half  of  it.  He 
would  have  seen  the  quiet  citizens  retm-ning  from  their  business 
or  their  morning  walk  —  but  he  would  not  have  seen  a  single 
cocked  hat,  nor  red  ringed  worsted  cap,  upon  the  head  of  one  of 
them,  except  may  be  that  of  the  venerable  Dr.  Stringer  on  his 
professional  morning  tour.  He  would  have  seen  the  upper  half 
of  each  front  door  open,  and  here  and  there  a  neat  and  thrifty 
house-wife,  bending  fonvard  over  the  closed  lower  half,  watching 
for  her  husband  or  her  sons,  as  they  came  home  to  breakfast.  He 
might  have  seen  that  brass  knocker,  in  the  form  of  a  dog,  on  the 
door  of  Lafayette's  head  quarters,  unlike  any  "  knocker  "  on  any 
"  green  door"  in  New  England,  j.  Q.  w. 


NORTH    DUTCH    CHURCH, 

Erected  1798. 


Recollections  of  Albany. 


25 


villages  of  'New  England.  Nothing,  indeed,  could 
be  more  picturesque  than  the  view  of  N'orth  Pearl 
street,  from  the  old  elm  at  Webster's  corner,  up  to 


Webster's  Coruer  aud  the  Old  Elm  Tree. 

the  new  Two-  steepled  Church.  Pearl  street,  it  must 
be  remembered,  was,  in  those  days,  the  west  end 
for  the  town  ;  for  there  the  town  ended,  and  there  resi- 
ded some  of  the.most  aristocratic  of  the  ancient  burg- 
ers. There,  a  little  after  sunrise,  in  a  mild  spring 
morning,  might  be  seen,  sitting  by  the  side  of  their 
doors,  the  ancient  and  venerable  mynheers  with 
their  little  sharp  cocked  hats,  or  red-ringed  worsted 
caps  (as  the  case  might  be),  drawn  tight  over  their 

4 


26  Recollections  of  Albany. 

heads.     There  tbcy  sat,  like  mouuments  of  a  former 

age,  still  lingering  on  the  verge  of  time  ;  or  like 

mile-stones  upon  a  turnpike  road,  solus  in  solo!  or, 

in  simple  English,  imlike  any  thing  I  had  ever  seen 

before.     But  there  they  sat,  smoking  their  pipes  in 

that  dignified  silence,   and  with  that  phlegmatic 

gravity,  which  would  have  done  honor  to  Sir  Wou- 

ter  Van  Twiller,    or   even  to  Pufiendorf  himself. 

The  whole  line  of  the  street,  on  either  side,  was 

dotted  by  the  little   clouds  of  smoke,  that,  issuing 

from  their  pipes,  and,  curling  round  their  noddles, 

rose    slowly  up  the  antique  gables,  and  mingled 

with  the  morning  air ;  giving  beauty  to  the  scene, 

and  adding  an  air  of  life  to  the  picture.     But  the 

great  charm  was  in  the  novelty  of  the  thing.     I  had 

seen  a  Dutch  house  before,  but  never  till  then  had 

I  seen  a  row  of  Dutchmen  smoking  in  a  Dutch  city.^ 

'  Shade  of  the  immortal  Diederick  !  and  shall  he  not  smoke  ? 
When  one  of  these  "  ancient  and  venerable  mynheers,"  who  was 
coeval  with  those  willows  and  elms,  looked  back  to  the  many- 
times  when,  in  his  canoe,  he  breasted  the  downward  and  devious 
current  of  the  Mohawk,  with  its  rifts,  falls,  and  portages,  descended 
into  Oneida  lake  and  followed  its  outlet  to  Oswego ;  coursed  along 
the  winding  shores  of  Ontario  and  Erie  to  Detroit,  up  that  river 
to  St.  Clair,  and  along  the  shores  of  Huron,  crossing  Saginaw 
bay  to  Mackinac,  where  he  traded  with  the  Indian  for  his  furs, 
and  of  his  returns  thencd  to  his  family  in  Pearl  street,  hiden  with 
the  riches  so  hardly  earned,  the  labor  of  which  has  reduced  him 
to  early  decrepitude,  shall  he  be  jeered  at  for  his  apathy?  Shall 
he  not  smoke,  and  rejoice  to  see  his  quiet  and  contemplative 
neighbor,  who  has  been  in  another  way  equally  prosperous,  do  so 
likewise  —  without  being  ridiculed  for  his  grave  duUness  ? 


Recollections  of  Albany. 


27 


Albany  was  indeed  Dutch,  in  all  its  moods  and 
tenses  ;2thoro uglily  and  inveterately  Dutch.  The 
building's  were  Dutch — Dutch  in  style,  in  position, 


THE    ST  A  ATS  HOUSE, 

Erected  1607,  and  once  formed  u  part  of  Lewis's  Tavern,  the  adjoining 

house,  originally  Madam  Schuyler's  city  residence,  was  removed 

many  years  ago,  when  that  part  of  Pearl  street  was  widened. 

attitude  and  aspect.  The  people  Avere  Dutch,  the 
horses  were  Dutch,  and  even  the  dogs  were  Dutch. 
If  any  conlirmation  were  wanting,  as  to  the  origin 


28  Eecollections  of  Albany. 

and  cliaractcr   of  tlie  place,  it  miglit  be  found  in 

the  old  Dutcli  church,  which  was  itself  always  to 

be  found  in  the  middle  of  State  street,  looking  as 

if  it  had  been  wheeled  out  of  line  bj  the  giants  of 

old,  and  there  left;  or  had  dropped  down  from  the 

clouds  in  a  dark  night,  and  had  stuck  fast  where  it 

MU 

^  There  are  very  few  of  the  present  generation  left  -vvho  remem- 
ber the  position  and  appearance  of  this  antique  but  venerable 
building,  and  fewer  still  who  can  realize  the  interesting  recollec- 
tions which  from  tradition  cluster  around  it.  The  first  church 
was  built  at  a  very  early  day,  and  of  much  smaller  dimensions. 
It  was  placed  in  the  position  where  it  stood,  at  the  intersection  of 
what  is  now  State  street  and  Broadway,  as  a  security  against  Indian 
attacks,  commanding  Broadway  north  and  south,  and  State 
street  east  and  west.  The  windows  were  high  from  the  ground 
to  guard  against  an  escalade,  as  it  was  too  far  north  to  be  protect- 
ed by  the  guns  of  Fort  Orange.  It  was  a  little  fortress  within 
itself  In  those  days  all  the  men  went  armed  to  church.  The 
young  men  were  seated  in  the  galleries,  that  they  might  be  ready 
in  case  of  an  attack  to  sweep  the  street  either  way.  by  their  fire 
from  the  windows.  The  old  men  were  seated  on  a  raised  plat- 
form along  the  walls,  and  the  women  were  in  the  slips  in  the 
centre  and  out  of  the  way  of  any  danger. 

Those,  therefore,  who  have  been  unwise  enough  to  ridicule  the 
position  of  the  chui'ch,  have  done  so  in  their  ignorance  of  the 
reasons  for  its  location.  The  condition  of  these  Dutchmen  and 
the  Pilgrims  of  New  England  were  alike ;  both  worshiped  their 
Maker  with  arms  in  their  hands.  The  tradition  goes  that  when 
this  old  church  was  to  be  replaced  by  a  new  one,  the  same  spot 
was  selected  for  it,  and  the  new  church  was  built  round  the  old 
one,  and  that  during  the  "time  the  new  one  was  building,  public 
service  was  regularly  carried  on  in  the  old  one,  which  was  inter- 
rupted but  two  entire  sabbaths.  The  new  church  was  like  the  old 
one,  and  did  not  differ  from  it,  except  in  size  [and  material,  being 
built  of  stone].  The  same  high  windows,  the  same  arrangement 
of  seats,  and  the  same  separation  of  the  sexes.    There  was  one 


Recollections  of  Albany. 


29 


All  the  old  buildings  iu  the  city — and  they  cousti- 
tiited  a  large  majority  —  were  but  one  story  high, 
with  sharp  peaked  roofs,  surmounted  by  a  rooster, 


PEMBERTON'S  TORXER. 

Corner  of  North  Pearl  and  Columbia  streets,  erected  1710. 


Striking  difference,  liowcver.  The  congregation  had  become 
more  numerous  and  wealtliy,  and  cacli  window  bore  tlie  escutch- 
eon of  tlie  several  families  who  were  disposed  to  pay  for  it,  in  co- 
lored glass.  Each  window  had  an  outside  shutter,  which  was 
fastened  by  a  latch.  Tlie  shutters  were  never  opened,  except  on 
Sunday.  Such  was  this  church,  with  its  steep  roof,  uniting  in  the 
centre,  and  surmounted  with  a  belfiy  and  a  weathercock.  Here 
in  tliis  church,  and  perhaps  also  in  the  old  one,  the  dead  of  distin- 
guished families  were  buried.  Here  preached  "  Our  Westerlo, " 
bj^  which  endearing  appellation  the  old  members  of  the  flock 
used  to  designate  their  minister,  which  in  the  Dutch  lansruage, 
and  from  the  lips  of  an  aged  matron,  had  an  affectionate  softness 
about  it  which  the  English    translation  cannot  convey.    Is  it 


30  Eecollections  of  Albajst. 

vulgarly  called  a  weathercock.  Every  house,  hav- 
mg  any  pretensions  to  dignity,  was  placed  with  its 
gable  end  to  the  street,  and  was  ornamented  with 
huge  iron  numericals,  announcing  the  date  of  its 
erection  ;  while  from  its  eaves  long  wooden  gutters, 

strange  that  a  churcli,  from  its  commencement  so  ancient,  and 
from  its  position  so  interesting,  should  be  dear  to  the  hearts  of 
those  whose  fiithers  and  grandMres  had  worshiped  and  been 
buried  there "? 

But  this  old  chnrch  might,  to  the  informed  sons  of  the  pilgrims, 
have  called  up  a  train  of  thought  in  which  it  would  have  been 
profitable  for  them  to  have  indulged.  Here,  in  this  church,  as 
late  as  the  rear  1800,  the  Dutchmen  assembled  on  the  sabbath, 
coming  out  of  the  mixed  iwpulation  which  even  then  existed  in 
the  city.  Here  were  to  be  fotmd  the  descendants  of  the  generous 
Hollanders,  who  in  dajs  long  passed,  had  giren  shelter  and  pro- 
tection both  to  the  persecuted  pilgrim  and  to  the  Huguenot  —  and 
for  aught  we  know,  knelt  on  the  shore  of  Delftharen,  prayed  with 
and  bade  God-speed  to  the  company  on  the  May-flower — or  who 
had  shielded  the  Huguenots  of  RocheUe  from  the  hot  pursuit  of 
their  red  assassins.  It  was  on  a  sabbath  in  July,  of  the  year 
above  mentioned,  when  the  writer,  for  the  first  time,  entered  this 
chtirch,  fuUy  aware  of  the  kind  of  people  he  was  to  meet  there. 
But  the  narrow  aisles  and  slips ;  the  separation  of  the  sexes ;  the 
raised  wall  seats  filled  with  old  men,  and  the  members  of  the 
corporation  in  their  allotted  seats;  the  yotmg  men  in  the  gallery; 
the  clerk's  desk  tmder  the  pulpit,  and  the  old  Holland-made 
pulpit  itself^  with  its  hour-glass  and  an  iron  moveable  frame  to 
support  it;  the  high  windows  with  their  bright  stained  glass  coats 
of  arms ;  the  stoves  standing  on  platforms  raised  outside  of  the  gal- 
lery and  nearly  on  a  level  with  its  floor ;  the  figures  in  large  Ger- 
man text  hanging  on  each  side  wall,  denoting  the  chapter  of  the 
Bible  to  be  read,  and  the  first  psalm  to  be  song;  the  reading  of 
that  chapter  and  decalogue  by  the  clerk ;  and  giving  out  that 
psalm  by  the  clerk,  the  singing,  the  salutation,  and  the  exordium 
remotnm  by  the  minister — all  so  new  and  all  combined,  had  less 
effect  upon  the  writer  than  the  people  themselves  —  every  drop  of 


Eecollectioxs  of  Albaxt.  31 

or  spouts/  projected  in  front  some  six  or  seven  feet, 
so  as  to  discharge  the  water  from  the  roof,  when  it 
rained,  directly  over  the  centre  of  the  sidewalks. 
This  was  probably  contrived  for  the  benefit  of  those 
who  were  compelled  to  be  out  in  wet  weather,  as 
it  furnished  them  with  an  extra  shower-bath  free 
of  expense. 

But  the  destined  hour  was  drawing  near.     The 

his  pilgrim  and  Huguenot  blood,  and  it  was  all  he  had,  "wamied 
to  those  whose  forefathers  had  been  kind  to  his  —  and  he  felt  the 
full  force  of  the  injunction, 

"Thy  fathers  friends  forget  thou  not." 
He  never  has,  and  he  never  will. 

Nearly  all  those  in  that  church  on  that  day,  of  ftill  age,  have 
departed  from  among  us.  The  fires  that  warmed  the  ashes  of 
some  of  them  are  hardly  yet  extinguished.  Let  no  unhallowed 
heel  tread  upon  them.  J.  Q.  w. 

^These  gutters  are  still  common  to  some  cities  in  Holland,  and 
present  a  singiilar  spectacle  to  a  stranger  in  a  rain  storm.  The 
law  went  into  effect  in  May,  1793,  that  no  gutter  or  spout  should 
project  into  the  street,  but  that  the  water  should  be  conducted 
down  the  sides  of  the  houses  through  pipes  within  three  feet  of 
the  ground,  under  a  penalty  of  forty  shillings.  These  gutters 
were  alluded  to  by  Kalm,  who  visited  Albany  in  1749.  He  says  : 
*'  The  gutters  on  the  roofs  reach  almost  to  the  middle  of  the  street 
This  preserves  the  walls  of  the  houses  from  being  damaged  by 
the  rain ;  but  is  extremely  disagreeable  in  rainy  weather  for  the 
people  in  the  streets,  there  being  hartUyany  means  of  avoiding  the 
water  from  the  gutters."  The  same  thing  is  alluded  to  by  Morse, 
in  17S9,  who  says :  "There  is  one  little  appendage  to  their  houses 
which  the  people,  blind  to  the  inconvenience  of  it,  stUl  continue, 
and  that  is  the  water  gutters  or  spouts,  which  project  from  every 
house,  rendering  it  almost  dangerous  to  walk  the  streets  in  a  rainy 
day.  Their  houses  are  seldom  more  than  one  story  and  a  half 
high,  and  have  but  little  convenience  and  less  elegance.'' 


32  Recollections  of  Albany. 

Yankees  were  creeping  in.  Every  clay  added  to 
their  number ;  and  the  unhallowed  hand  of  innova- 
tion was  seen  pointing-  its  impertinent  finger  at  the 
cherished  habits  and  venerated  customs  of  the  an- 
cient burgers.  These  meddling  eastern  Saxons  at 
length  obtained  a  majority  in  the  city  councils  ; 
and  then  came  an  order,  iciih  a  handsaw,  to  "cut  off 
those  spouts. "  jSTothing  could  exceed  the  conster- 
nation of  the  aforesaid  burgers,  upon  the  announce- 
ment of  this  order.  Had  it  been  a  decree  abolish- 
ing their  mother  tongue,  it  could  hardly  have 
excited  greater  astonishment,  or  greater  indigna- 
tion. "What  !"  said  they,  "are  our  own  spouts, 
then,  to  be  measured  and  graduated  by  a  corpora- 
tion standard !  Are  they  to  be  cut  oft*  or  fore- 
shortened, without  our  knowledge  or  consent!" 
But  the  Dutch  still  retained  the  obstinacy,  if  not 
the  valor,  of  their  ancestors.  They  rallied  their  for- 
ces and  at  the  next  election,  the  principal  author  of 
the  obnoxious  order  (my  old  friend  Elkanah  Wat- 
son^), was  elected  a  constable  of  the  ward  in  which  he 

iln  the  year  1789,  ]Mr.  Watsou  removed  from  Pro^^dence  to 
Albany.  Among  the  curiosities  in  his  common-place  book  I  find 
a  singular  document  which  affords  evidence  that  our  coimtry  at 
that  epoch  was  not  wholly  enfranchized  fi'om  the  influence  of 
European  usages,  but  that  many  of  their  restrictions  and  exactions 
still  lingered.  I  refer  to  a  certificate  of  the  freedom  of  the  city, 
which  it  seems  each  immigrant  was  required  to  possess,  to  be 
secm"ed  in  the  enjoyment  and  protection  of  his  municipal  rights. 


[i!  7, -K  Apr  a;  Ft  Ty^MD'sorr, 


yr,/r;:;;',rf/,     A,/-),'//.-    r,„„i/.<    -«■/    _  l./.'r>.//'m.'/    Si 


Recollections  of  Albany.  3S 

lived!  This  done,  they  went  to  sleep  again ;  and 
before  they  awoke,  new  swarms  had  arrived,  and  a 
complete  and  thorough  revolution  had  taken  place. 
The  Yankees  were  in  possession  of  the  city !  and 
the  fate  of  the  Dutch  was  sealed. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  printed  document  :  "  Knoto  all 
men  by  these  presents  that  I,  John  Lansing  Jr.,  Esquire,  Mayor  of 
the  city  of  Albany,  have  admitted  and  received,  and  do  hereby 
admit  and  receive,  Elkanah  Watson  to  be  a  freeman  of  said  city. 
In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand,  and  caused 
the  seal  of  the  said  city  to  be  hereunto  annexed,  the  28th  day  of 
May,  1790,  &c."  And  for  this  certificate,  Mr.  W.  adds,  I  was  com- 
pelled to  pay  five  pounds.  This  abuse  was  early  and  vigorously 
assailed  by  him  in  the  press,  and  was  soon  after  abolished. 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  Watson's  settlement  in  Albany,  not  more 
than  five  New  England  families  were  residents  of  the  city.  It  was 
without  any  foreign  commerce ;  the  city  was  unimproved.  State 
street,  now  one  of  the  most  spacious  and  beautiful  avenues  in 
America,  was  then  not  only  without  pavements  and  ungraded, 
but  even  broken  and  in  some  parts  precipitous.  The  streets  were 
without  lamps.  A  singular  deformity  and  inconvenience  prevail- 
ed in  some  sections  of  the  city.  A  custom  had  been  introduced, 
which  existed  in  the  provincial  towns  of  Holland,  of  discharging 
the  waters  from  the  roofs  of  smaller  buildings  by  long  spouts. 
In  Holland  the  spouts  were  projected  over  the  canals;  but  by 
the  adoption  of  this  practice  in  Albany  the  water  was  poured 
upon  the  head  of  the  unwary  passenger.  The  mind  of  Mr.  Wat- 
son, familiar  with  the  elegancies  and  advancement  of  European 
cities,  at  once  saw  and  appreciated  the  various  defective  arrange- 
ments in  the  city  of  his  adoption ;  and  soon  after  becoming  a  resi- 
dent, he  engaged  earnestly,  through  the  press  and  by  personal 
efforts,  in  suggesting  and  urging  various  local  improvements 
connected  with  these  subjects. 

His  exertions,  in  connection  with  the  labors  of  others,  generally 
secured  their  adoption;  but  as  they  necessarily  entailed  inconven- 
ience and  expense,  the  schemes  excited  strong  hostility  in  the  feel- 
ings of  those  who  are  opposed  to  all  innovating  projects.    Insubse- 

5 


34  Recollections  of  Albany. 

The  old  families,  however,  still  claimed  the  lead 
in  all  matters  relating  to  good  society.  The  city 
assemblies  were  still  under  their  control,  as  well  in 
regard  to  time  and  place,  as  in  the  power  of  admis- 
sion and  exclusion.  In  the  exercise  of  this  prerog- 
ative, a  little  jealousy  of  the  Yankees  was  occa- 
sionally manifested.  The  difficulty  was,  to  knoio 
who  was  who:  to  distinguish  between  those  that 
were  entitled  to  admission,  and  those  that  were  not. 
Mere  respectability  was  not,  of  itself,  sufficient; 
nor  was  wealth  to  be  considered  as  a  certain  passport. 
It  was  necessary  that  there  should  be  something 

quent  years  he  received  mauy  generous  tributes  of  acknowledg- 
ments and  thanks  from  those  who,  in  their  progress,  had  opposed 
these  cfForts.  His  journal  contains  a  notice  of  an  amusing  inci- 
dent, which  exhibits  the  state  of  fechng  he  had  excited. 

"Just  after  State  street  had  been  paved  at  a  heavy  expense,  I 
sauntered  into  it  immediately  succeeding  a  heavy  thunderstorm, 
and  whilst  regretting  the  disturbance  in  the  sidewalk,  and  to  ob- 
serve the  cellars  filled  with  water  (for  in  that  section,  which  was 
near  the  present  locality  of  the  State  Bank,  the  street  in  grading 
had  been  elevated  some  feet),  I  heard  two  women,  in  the  act  of 
clearing  their  invaded  premises  ii-om  the  accumulation  of  mud 
and  water,  cry  out  — '  Here  comes  that  infernal  paving  Yankee ! ' 
they  approached  me  in  a  menacing  attitude — broomsticks  erect. 
Prudence  dictated  a  retreat  to  avoid  being  broomsticked  by  the 
infuriated  Amazons,  although  I  did  not  run,  as  some  of  my  friends 
insisted,  but  walked  off  at  a  quick  pace." 

Respectmg  the  election  of  Mr.  Watson  to  the  office  of  constable, 
the  joke  was  turned  upon  the  electors,  when  the  next  morning 
the  Dutchmen  found  him  driving  the  hogs,  foimd  in  the  streets, 
to  the  public  pound.  The  running  at  large  of  hogs  was  one  of 
the  city's  most  ancient  usages,  and  they  at  once  begged  off,  and 
made  peace. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  35 

of  rank,  of  family,  or  of  fashion,  to  entitle  a  neiu 
comer  to  a  seat  among  the  notables.  These  matters, 
however,  were,  as  a  matter  of  course,  left  to  the 
younger  branches  of  the  ancient  aristocracy,  to 
regulate  as  they  saw  fit. 

]^ow  it  happened,  that  into  this  ancient  and  some- 
what exclusive  circle  of  good  society,  had  slid  many 
families,  with  their  twigs  and  branches,  who  had  in 
reality  none  of  the  rights  and  claims  of  the  genuine 
Knickerbockers  ;^  and  who  were,  as  far  as  antiquity 
was  concerned,  mere  squatters;  yet  they  were 
found  to  be  greater  sticklers  for  exclusion  and  pro- 
bation, than  the  veritable  mynheers  themselves. 
Still,  up  to  1803  or  1804,  things  went  on  tolerably 
well :  at  all  events,  there  was  no  complaint.  The 
assemblies  were  sufficiently  select  as  to  quality,  and 
perhaps  sufficiently  liberal  in  their  range  as  to 
number.     But,  somewhere  about  the  period  referred 

^It  has  become  common  to  speak  of  the  elite  of  the  Dutch  as  the 
Knickerbockers.  The  name  is  derived  from  K-nik-ker-bak-ker  (pro- 
nounced connickerbawker)  a  baker  of  knickers  or  playing  marbles. 
The  Knickerbackers  were  among  the  early  citizens  of  Albany, 
and  the  progenitor  of  the  race  still  bearing  the  name  here,  it  is 
reasonable  to  suppose,  like  many  others,  took  his  patronymic 
from  his  profession ;  for  there  is  a  tradition  that  it  was  not  the 
original  family  name.  "Washington  Irving  fancied  it,  however, 
and  has  immortalized  it,  but  corrupted  its  orthography ;  so  that 
we  daily  see  many  objects,  magnificent  or  diminutive,  from  a  steam 
boat  to  an  urchins'  hand-sleigh,  bearing  the  title  of  Knickerbocker. 
Members  of  the  family  even,  have  descended  to  burlesque  their 
names  by  substituting  o  for  the  vernacular  a. 


36  Recollections  of  Albany. 

to,  the  self-constituted  managers  lield  a  meeting, 
at  which  it  was  determined  that  the  city  assemblies 
should  in  future  be  '■'•more  select;"  and  that  "a  line 
of  distinction"  as  they  termed  it,  should  be  drawn. 
Accordingly  a  new  list  was  made  out,  by  which  it 
was  soon  ascertained  that  several,  heretofore  admit- 
ted, had  been  left  off,  and  many  others  excluded, 
that  were  thought  to  be  better  entitled  to  admission 
than  many  that  were  retained.  The  measure,  there- 
fore, was  taken  in  high  dudgeon  by  the  friends  of 
the  excluded  parties,  and  was  considered  as  a  piece 
of  arrogance,  even  by  those  who  had  no  personal 
cause  of  complaint. 

A  paper  war  was  immediately  commenced,  and 
the  character  and  pretension  of  the  managers  were 
ridiculed  and  satirized  in  a  style  as  new  as  it  was 
amusing.  A  series  of  poetical  epistles,  odes,  satires, 
&c.,  &c.,  appeared  in  rapid  succession;  some  of  them 
displaying  a  good  deal  of  taste  and  cleverness.  One 
piece  in  particular,  entitled  The  Conspiracy  of  the 
Nobles,  written  in  mock  heroic  verse,  contained  some 
capital  hits.  It  gave  a  highly  poetic  description 
of  the  first  meeting  of  the  managers,  and  an  amus- 
ing sketch  of  their  persons,  pretensions,  characters 
and  debates.  The  most  ridiculous  speeches  were 
of  course  put  into  their  mouths,  and  they  were 
thus  made  to  exhibit  themselves  in  a  light  that  was 


Recollections  of  Albany.  37 

as  laughable  as  it  was  absurd.^  These  squibs  were 
answered  by  the  conspirators,  but  without  the  wit 
or  the  humor  that  characterized  the  pieces  of  their 
opponents.  The  fire,  however,  was  kept  up  on 
both  sides  for  several  weeks,  to  the  great  amuse- 
ment of  the  town.  The  result  was  a  mortifying 
defeat  on  the  part  of  the  exclusionists.     The  as- 

^I  quote  from  memory  the  following  as  a  sample. 

Next,  up  rose  Milo,  with  a  graceful  mein, 
No  comelier  noble  on  the  floor  was  seen, 
And  all  undaunted  stood,  with  phiz  serene. 
Thrice  e'er  he  spoke,  with  easy  grace  he  bow'd, 
Twice  to  the  king,  once  only  to  the  crowd : 
His  hand  sincere,  he  placed  upon  his  breast. 
And  thus  his  majesty  and  peers  aJdress'd: 

"I  wage  no  war,  with  either  great  or  small ; 

A  neutral  post  I  hold,  or  none  at  all ; 

Of  squibs,  of  jarring  factions,  plebeian  bands 

And  proud  nobility,  I  wash  my  hands. 

My  interests  only,  henceforth  I'll  pursue, 

To  please  all  men,  henceforth  shall  be  my  cue." 

He  ceased  and  sat,  when  with  terrific  frown, 
That  darkened  all  the  hall  and  half  the  town, 
Lord  Roderick  rose,  and  'neath  the  awful  shade, 
His  proud  imaginations  thus  display'd : 

"Te  gods  !  and  is  it  come  to  this,  that  we! 

The  city's  proud  and  prime  nobility, 

Should  waive  our  right  of  birth,  our  rank  and  place 

To  gratify  this  new  and  upstart  race  ! 

Let  those  who  will,  to  base-born  interests  bend, 

I  scorn  the  trading  tribe,  the  truckling  friend. 

Though  round  my  head  plebeian  placards  flit, 

With  saucy  satire  fiU'd,  and  damning  wit ; 

Though  the  whole  town  should  join  the  vulgar  throng, 


38  Recollections  of  Albany. 

semblies,  as  a  matter  of  course,  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  victorious  party,  and,  to  their  credit  be  it 
said,  were  conducted  with  more  taste  and  propriety, 
and  were  indeed  more  brilliantly  attended  than  they 
had  ever  been  before. 

This  was  considered  as  a  victory  of  wit  over  im- 
pudence, or  rather  of  sense  over  nonsense.     It  is 

And  point  the  finger  as  I  pass  along, 
Still  would  I  wear  my  wonted  lordly  face, 
And  vindicate  the  honors  of  my  race. 
Sooner  than  yield  to  their  insurgent  claims, 
I'd  see  the  hills  o'erthrown,  the  town  in  flames. 
Sooner  than  mingle  in  their  turbid  flood, 
And  dance  with  doxies  of  plebeian  blood, 
I'd  see  the  assemblies  to  perdition  hurl'd, 
And  round  them  piled  the  fiddlers  of  the  world ! 
I'd  see  old  Jove,  on  his  imperial  height, 
Elot  out  the  stars  and  quench  the  solar  light. 
I'd  see  the  angry  gods  their  vengeance  pour, 
And  hear,  unmoved,  eternal  chaos  roar  !" 

He  ended  —  and  applauding  murmurs  ran 
In  echoing  circles  round  the  sage  divan. 
When,  rising  from  his  seat  with  scoi'nful  look, 
Thus  spoke  Van  Trump,  —  and  spoke  it  like  a  book. 

"I  view,  my  Lords,  with  deep  disgust  these  jars. 

These  petty  jealousies  and  paper  wars. 

And  above  all,  this  'blotting  out  the  stars!' 

This  mighty  nonsense  !  this  uproar  about 

The  right  of  entrance  at  a  dancing  rout. 

For  shame,  my  Lords  !  for  once,  be  wise —  be  civil, 

And  send  your  starch'd  exclusives  to  the  devil! 

Take  my  advice  —  throw  wide  your  ball-room  door. 

Add  to  your  music  six,  and  sand  the  floor  ! 

Take,  take  the  Yankees  in,  and  end  this  fuss. 

Or,  be  assured,  my  Lords,  they'lltakeinusT'-kxiT^o^'' s'soj-e. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  39 

but  just,  however,  to  add,  that  tlie  real  old  Knick- 
erbacker  families  took  but  very  little  interest  in  tbe 
contest,  and  were  probably  not  mucli  displeased  at 
the  discomfiture  of  their  quondam  allies.  Let  us 
now  turn  to  revolutions  of  a  graver  import. 

A  restless,  leveling,  innovating  spirit,  now  pre- 
vailed throughout  the  city.  The  detested  word  im- 
provement was  in  every  mouth,  and  resistance  was 
unavailing.  The  stinted  pines  became  alarmed, 
and  gradually  receded.  The  hills  themselves  gave 
way.  'Eew  streets  opened  their  extended  lines, 
and  the  old  ones  grow  wider.  The  roosters  on  the 
gable  heads,  that  for  more  than  a  century  had  braved 
the  Indians  and  the  breeze;  that  had  even  flapped 
their  wings  and  crowed  in  the  face  of  Burgoyne 
himself,  now  gave  it  up,  and  came  quietly  down. 
The  gables  in  despair  soon  followed,  and  more 
imposing  fronts  soon  reared  their  corniced  heads. 
The  old  Dutch  Church  ^  itself,  though  thought  to 

1  This  church  was  dcmolislied  in  1806,  and  the  materials  used  in 
the  construction  of  the  Middle  Dutch  Church  on  Beaver  and  Hud- 
son streets.  It  was  erected  in  1715.  The  Episcopalians  began  the 
erection  of  their  church  in  State  street  1714,  which  stimulated  the 
Dutch  to  the  vigorous  prosecution  of  a  similar  enterprise.  The 
walls  were  laid  around  the  old  church,  and  in  September  of  tiuit 
year  the  services  in  the  old  church  were  omitted  in  the  afternoon 
of  one  Sunday  on  account  of  the  obstructions  to  the  entrance.  In 
October  the  services  were  again  interrupted  two  Sundays,  while 
the  old  church  was  being  demolished.  On  the  third  Sunday  child- 
ren were  baptized  in  the  new  church  iu  the  afternoou.    This  was 


40  Recollections  of  Albany. 

be  immortal,  submitted  to  its  fate,  and  fell !  not  at 
the  foot  of  Pompey's  statue,  exactly,  but  at  the  foot 
of  State  street,  wliicli  freed  from  that  obstruction, 
thenceforward  became  the  Rialto  of  the  city,  where 
pedlers  of  stale  sea-cod,  and  country  hucksters,  now 
do  congregate. 


DUTCH  EEFORMED  CHURCH, 

Erected  1715,  demolished  1806. 

thought  to  be  so  notable  a  feat  that  it  is  still  an  oft  repeated  tradi- 
tion. Equally  note-worthy  is  the  fact  that  the  first  person  bap- 
tized in  the  new  church  in  1715,  was  the  last  one  for  whom  the  bell 
tolled  at  her  funeral  in  1806,  her  age  being  93. 


Recollections  of  Albany. 


41 


Even  the  dogs  now  began  to  bark  in  broken  Eng- 
lish: many  of  them,  indeed,  had  ah'eady  caught 
the  Yankee  twang,  so  rapid  was  the  progress  of 
refinement.  In  the  process  of  a  few  brief  years, 
all  that  was  venerable  in  the  eyes  of  the  ancient 
burgers  disappeared.  Then  came  the  great  eclipse 
of  1806,^  which  clearly  announced  the  fall  and  final 
end  of  the  Dutch  dynasty.     It  is  hardly  necessary 

1  This  eclipse  forms  an  epoch  in  our  history.  It  was  captured 
by  Ezra  Ames  and  Simeon  De  Witt.  The  former  made  a  painting 
of  it,  and  the  latter  described  it.  The  accompanying  engrav- 
ing is  but  a  very  poor  counterpart  of  ]VIr.  Ames's  jjainting.  It  was 
a  total  eclipse,  and  Mr.  De  Witt  in  describing  the  painting  says : 

"The  edge  of  the  Moon  was 
strongly  illuminated,  and  liad 
the  brilliancy  of  polished 
silver.  No  common  co- 
lors could  express  this ; 
I  therefore  directed  it  to 
be  attempted  by  a  raised 
silver  rim.  No  verbal 
description  can  give  anj'- 
thing  hke  a  true  idea  of 
^-"^  this  sublime  spectacle, 
with  which  man  is  so 
rarely  gratified.  In  order 
to  have  a  proper  conception 
of  what  is  intended  to  be  re- 
presented, you  must  transfer 
your  ideas  to  the  heavens  and  imagine,  at  the  departure  of  the 
last  ray  of  the  Sun,  in  liis  retreat  behind  the  Moon,  an  awful 
gloom  in  an  instant  dilfused  over  the  face  of  nature,  and  around 
a  dark  circle  near  the  south,  an  immense  radiated  glory,  like  a 
new  creation,  bursting  on  the  sight  and  for  some  minutes  fixing 
the  gaze  of  man  in  silent  amazement. " 

6 


..\^^Y 


42  Recollections  of  Albany. 

to  say,  that  not  an  iron  rooster  has  crowed  upon 
the  gable  heads,  nor  a  civil  cocked  hat  been  seen 
in  the  ancient  city  of  Albany,  from  that  day  to 
this.i 

But  let  it  be  remembered,  that  if  the  growth  of 
Albany  was  slow,  its  position  rendered  it  sure. 
The  great  west,  in  1800,  was  comparatively  a  wil- 
derness. "With  the  growth  of  this  vast  interior, 
Albany  has  grown ;  it  has  increased  with  its  increase, 
and  strengthened  with  its  strength.  ]^o  hand,  how- 
ever strong,  no  enterprise,  however  active,  could 
have  carried  it  forward  one  hour  faster  than  it  went. 
Its  trade  was  necessarily  dependent  upon  the  popu- 
lation and  products  of  the  west,  and  with  these  it 
has  fairly  kept  pace. 

It  is,  however,  true  that  the  ancient  Dutch  fami- 

^  The  last  of  those  who  adhered  to  the  burger  costume  was  Gen. 
John  H.  Wendell,  who  lived  in  a  small  Dutch  built  house  in  North 
Market  street,  the  sixth  door  above  Maiden  lane,  on  the  west  side. 
He  died  10th  July,  1833,  aged  80,  and  lies  buried  in  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed church  yard,  on  State  street.  He  died  of  an  apoplectic 
attack  which  occurred  at  church  on  the  previous  Sunday.  In 
1776,  at  24  years  of  age,  he  abandoned  the  profession  of  the  law, 
and  became  an  ensign  in  the  first  New  York  regiment,  but  soon 
entitled  himself  to  promotion,  and  was  made  captain  under  Col. 
Van  Schaick,  and  commanded  a  company  at  the  battle  of  Mon- 
mouth. He  was  with  the  army  during  the  whole  period  of  the 
war,  and  was  subsequently  raised  to  the  rank  of  major-general 
of  the  militia,  and  also  filled  various  civil  offices  with  talent  and 
ability.  He  continued  to  wear  the  costume  of  the  era  of  the  revo- 
lution to  the  time  of  his  death. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  43 

lies,  tliongli  among  the  most  wealthy  and  respect- 
able, were  not  the  most  enterprising,  nor  the  most 
active.  Many  of  them  possessed  large  landed  es- 
tates, lived  upon  their  incomes,  and  left  to  others 
the  toils  and  profits  of  trade.  At  the  head  of  this 
class,  and  distinguished  for  his  many  excellent  and 
amiable  qualities,  stood  the  late  patroon,  Stephen 
Van  Rensselaer;^  a  man  widely  and  honorably 
known ;  rich  without  pride,  and  liberal  without  os- 
tentation. I  may  also  mention  the  name  of  Jere- 
miah Van  Rensselaer,^  a  whig  of  the  revolution, 
and  for  several  years  lieutenant-governor  of  the 
state :  a  frank,  stout-hearted  old  gentleman,  univers- 
ally respected. 

General  Ten  Broeck,^  also  of  the  revolutionary 

^  Bom  1764,  died  1837;  a  memoir  of  him,  written  by  Dauiel  D. 
Barnard,  may  be  found  in  Annals  of  Albany,  iii,  281. 

2  Jeremiah  Van  Rensselaer  died  19tli  Feb.,  1810,  aged  70.  He 
took  a  conspicuous  part  in  tlie  Revolution ;  was  cliairman  of  the 
committee  whicli  drew  up  the  famous  objections  to  the  adoption 
of  the  constitution  in  1787  (see  Annals  Albany,  iv,  336) ;  was  elect- 
ed president  of  the  Bank  of  Albany  1799 ;  declined  reelection  in 
1806.  The  house  in  which  he  lived  was  in  North  Pearl  street, 
the  third  below  Steuben,  on  the  east  side,  and  was  taken  down  in 
1837  for  the  erection  of  a  splendid  dwelling  by  Mr.  Thonuxs  W. 
Olcott  which  was  described  by  the  English  traveler,  Buckingham, 
who  visited  the  city  at  the  time. — Annals  of  Albany,  ix,  291-2. 

3  Abraham  Ten  Broeck  died  January  19, 1810,  and  his  funeral 
was  attended  with  military  honors  and  a  very  large  concourse  of 
citizens.  The  Ten  Broecks  do  not  appear  to  have  come  early 
into  the  countrj'-  (unless  they  went  originally  under  the  name  of 
Wessels),  although  the  name  is  mentioned  in  the  Knictxrbocker  his- 


44  Recollections  of  Albany. 

school,  distinguislied  forliis  activity,  iutelligence 
and  public  spirit. 

Cornelius  Van  Schelluyne,^  the  then  best  living 
type  of  the  ancient  race ;  rich,  honest,  independent, 
unlettered  and  unpretending. 

In  alluding  to  these  ancient  and  wealthy  families, 
that  of  the  Gansevoorts  should  not  be  omitted;  for 
it  is  connected  with  the  patriotism  and  the  triumphs 

toiy.  Dirk  Ten  Broeck  is  the  first  mentioned  in  the  city  records, 
who  was  mayor  of  Albany  in  1747,  and  died  before  1751.  His 
son  Abraham,  who  is  the  person  here  alluded  to,  engaged  in  mer- 
chandize, and  in  1753  married  Elizabeth,  sister  of  Stephen  Van 
Kensselaer.  From  17G0  to  17G5,  he  represented  the  manor  in  the 
general  assembly,  and  took  an  active  interest  in  the  revolution. 
He  was  a  delegate  in  the  provincial  congress,  and  as  brigadier 
general  of  the  militia,  rendered  efficient  service,  especially  in  1777. 
In  1779  and  1796  he  was  mayor  of  the  city,  and  from  1780  to  1783 
was  in  the  state  senate ;  and  in  1781  was  appointed  first  judge  of 
Albany  county,  an  office  which  he  held  thirteen  years.  He  was 
also  president  of  the  Bank  of  Albany,  and  enjoyed  in  a  large  degree 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  public.  His  house  stood  on  the 
north  line  of  Columbia  street,  facing  North-market  street.  The 
house,  when  it  was  built,  stood  outside  of  the  city  stockadoes ; 
it  was  burnt  in  the  great  conflagration  of  1798  (Aug.  4),  which 
overran  several  streets,  rendering  houseless  one  hundred  and  fifty 
families — the  greatest  calamity  that  had  ever  befallen  the  city. 
He  then  buUt  the  house  on  Arbor  hill,  upon  a  plat  292  by  759 
feet,  the  house  44  by  52  feet,  now  the  residence  of  Mr.  Thomas  W. 
Olcott,  corner  of  Ten  Broeck  and  Third  streets.  It  is  beheved 
that  Gen.  Ten  Broeck  has  no  posterity  residing  in  Albany. 

^  Cornelius  Van  Scitellutne  died  16th  April,  1813,  aged  76. 
There  is  now  no  representative  of  this  once  wealthy  and  in- 
fluential family  remaining  in  the  city ;  he  was  therefore  the  last  of 
his  race,  so  to  speak.  The  progenitor  of  the  family  in  this  coun- 
try was  Dirk  Van  Schelluyne,  who  arrived  in  New  Netherland 
in  1652. 


Painted  by  G.Stuart 


'-^-^>zp-t^^l^^ 


Eecollections  of  Albany.  45 

of  the  revolution.  "The  hero  of  Fort  Stanwix"^ 
has  left  to  his  descendants  a  time-honored  name — a 
name  that  belongs  to  the  history  of  the  country, 
and  to  one  of  its  most  interesting  and  important 
periods. 

But  those  of  a  more  active  and  business-like 
character  among  the  Dutch,  were  the  Bleeckers,  the 
Lansings,  the  Douws,  the  Van  Schaicks,  the  Ten 
Eycks,  the  TenBroecks,  thePruyns,  the  Hochstras- 
sers,^  the  Van  Loons,  and  the  Staatses.  The  princi- 
pal merchants  of  the  city,  however — those  who  gave 
life  and  character  to  its  business  interests — were 
citizens  of  a  more  recent  date,  coming  from  difier- 

1  Peter  Gansevoort,  Jtjn.,  born  17th  Julj^  1749,  died  2d  Julj^, 
1812,  aged  62.  With  the  rank  of  major  he  accompauied  Mont- 
gomery to  Canada  in  1775.  He  commanded  at  Fort  Stanwix  as 
colonel  when  it  was  besieged  by  St.  Leger,  in  1777,  and  resolutely 
defended  the  post  from  the  2d  to  the  22d  August,  when  the  ad- 
vance of  Arnold  dispersed  the  besieging  army,  and  relieved  the 
fort.  For  this  gallant  conduct  he  received  the  thanks  of  congress, 
and  in  1781  was  appointed  brigadier-general  by  the  state.  After 
the  war  he  acted  as  military  agent,  and  was  entrusted  with  other 
offices,  in  all  which  he  maintained  a  high  character  for  honesty  of 
purpose  and  efficiency.  For  an  extended  biography  of  General 
Gansevoort,  prepared  by  his  son,  the  Hon.  Peter  Gansevoort,  see 
Rogers's  Biograpldcal  Dictionary ;  also,  Appleton's  New  American 
Cyclopedia.  General  Gansevoort  was  born  in  the  house  which 
formerly  stood  on  the  site  of  Stanwix  Hall,  corner  of  Broadway 
and  Maiden  lane,  the  property  having  been  long  in  the  family. 
He  died  in  the  house  which  he  built  about  1801,  on  a  part  of  what 
now  constitutes  the  plat  occupied  by  the  Delavan  House. 

2  The  Hochstrassers  disappeared  some  years  ago,  the  last  being 
Jacob,  the  son  of  Paul,  who  died  16th  April,  1845. 


46  Recollections  of  Albany. 

ent  parts  of  the  Union,  but  mostly  from  'New  Eng- 
land. Among  these,  were  James  Kane,  Dudley- 
Walsh,^  William  James,^  Isaiah  Townsend,^  Gilbert 

1  Dudley  Walsh,  some  time  president  of  the  Bank  of  Albany, 
died  24th  May,  1816,  aged  55.  He  was  distinguished,  says  his 
obituary  notice  in  the  Albany  Daily  Advertiser,  for  the  temperance 
and  regularity  of  his  life.  He  was  the  builder  of  his  own  fortune 
and  character ;  having  come  to  this  country  from  Ireland,  and 
begun  his  career  unaided  and  alone;  and  his  industry,  intelli- 
gence and  integrity  placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  commercial 
interest.  "As  a  Christian,  a  citizen,  and  a  merchant,  he  had  no 
superior  here."  His  residence  was  on  the  south-east  corner  of 
North-market  and  Steuben  streets,  and  his  place  of  business  was 
nearly  opposite.  The  dwelling,  although  some  years  ago  convert- 
ed into  stores,  was  standing  until  the  present  year,  when  it  was 
so  much  altered  and  greatly  enlarged  for  the  use  of  the  American 
express  company,  as  to  destroy  its  identity. 

2  William  James,  a  native  of  Ireland,  as  we  learn  from  his  tomb 
stone,  died  19th  Dec,  1832,  aged  63.  From  a  humble  beginning- 
he  became  an  eminent  and  opulent  merchant,  and  long  occupied 
the  position  of  a  liberal  and  enlightened  citizen.  Prosperous 
almost  beyond  parallel,  his  career  exemplitied  how  surely  strong 
and  practical  intellect,  with  unremitted  perseverance,  will  be  ac- 
companied by  success.  Of  unaffected  manners,  generous,  hospi- 
table, public  spirited,  open  ever  to  the  claims  of  charity,  prompt 
to  participate  in  any  enterprise  of  general  utility  or  benevolence, 
Mr.  James  enjoyed,  as  he  deserved,  the  sincere  respect  and  esteem 
of  his  fellow-citizens,  and  his  loss  was  rightly  considered  as  a 
public  calamity.  His  residence  was  on  the  east  side  of  North- 
pearl  street,  below  Steuben  street,  built  by  Daniel  Hale ;  his  place 
of  business  the  building  still  occupying  the  west  corner  of  State 
and  Green  streets. 

3  Isaiah  Townsend  died  17th  Feb.,  1838,  aged  61.  He  was  a  na- 
tive of  Orange  county,  the  eldest  of  nine  childi-en,  and  came  to  the 
city  in  1799.  As  the  senior  partner  of  the  house  of  I.  &  J.  Town- 
send  he  had  been  engaged  in  active  and  extensive  mercantile 
and  manufacturing  business  for  the  last  thirty-six  years  of  his  life. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  47 

Stewart/  Thomas  GoukP,  William,^  John,  and  Alex- 

The  house,  by  its  enterprise  and  liberality,  had  done  much  to 
promote  the  manufacturing  interests  of  the  country,  and  still  more 
to  advance  the  prosperity  of  the  city.  He  is  characterized  as  in  all 
things  an  upright,  just,  and  generous  man,  who  lived  a  life  of 
honor  and  usefulness.  His  residence  was  the  house  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  State  and  Eagle  streets,  now  the  executive  mansion ; 
his  place  of  business  the  store  No.  G2  State  street. 

1  Gilbert  Stewart  came  from  Orange  county,  and  returned 
thither  at  the  close  of  an  unsuccessful  business  career.  He  car- 
ried on  a  general  flour  and  grain  business  on  the  dock,  and  was 
also  engaged  in  milling.  He  built  the  house  No.  133  State  street, 
at  present  owned  and  occupied  by  Dr.  Peter  McNaughton,  but 
did  not  long  enjoy  it.  It  was  some  time  the  residence  of  William 
L.  Marcy. 

''Thomas  Gould  died  22d  April,  1820,  and  was  buried  from 
his  dwelling  house  No.  18  Montgomery  street.  In  1798  his  busi- 
ness relations  with  Benjamin  Dickinson  and  Job  Gould,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Gould,  Dickinson  &  Co.,  were  dissolved,  his 
brother  Job  continuing  the  business  at  13  Court  street.  He  then 
carried  on  business  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  between 
Beaver  and  State,  and  had  for  a  time  Heniy  W.  and  Edward  C. 
Delavan  as  partners  in  the  hardware  business:  and  subsequently 
until  his  death  his  store  was  the  one  still  occupied  for  the  same 
business  on  the  corner  of  State  street  and  Middle  lane  now  James 
street.  He  acquired  a  fortune.  In  1882  his  estate  was  appor- 
tioned $10,000  damages  for  property  rec[uired  for  the  opening 
of  Little-state  street. 

3Url\h  Marvin,  John  INIarvin,  William  ]\Iarvin,  Alexander 
Marvin  and  Richard  jNIarviu  were  brothers,  born  in  Lyme,  Con- 
necticut. About  1796  John  Marvin  removed  to  Ballston,  and 
kept  a  store  on  Court-house  hill.  Some  four  years  afterwards  he 
removed  to  Albany  and  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother, 
William,  under  the  name  of  Wm.  &  John  Marvin.  They  car- 
ried on  business  as  grocers  in  the  store  on  the  south-west  corner 
of  State  and  Quay  streets,  the  stand  afterwards  occupied  bj'  Geo. 
W.  Stanton.  Alexander  jMarvin  commenced  business  in  Ballston 
about  1804,  and  came  to  Albany  aliout  two  j^ears  afterwards  and 
here  went  into  the  store  of  his  brothers.    Not  far  from  1810,  they 


48  Recollections  of  Albany. 

ander  Marvin,  Thomas  Mather,^  Peter  and  John  I. 
Boyd,^  John  Spencer  &  Co.,^  John  and  Spencer  Staf- 

purcliased  a  lot  oa  the  east  side  of  Court  street,  since  South-mar- 
ket, now  South  Broadway,  at  the  south  corner  of  Trotter's  alley, 
and  there  carried  on  business  under  the  nanie  of  W.,  J.  &  A.  Mar- 
vin. John  retired  from  the  business  in  1822  and  it  was  then  con- 
tinued under  the  name  of  W.  &  A.  Marvin  i;ntil  1828  when 
William  retired,  and  B.  C.  Raymond  became  a  partner  under  the 
name  of  A.  Marvin  &  Co.  Mr.  Alexander  Marvin  retired  from 
business  in  1842.  Wilham  Marvin  died  at  New  London,  Conn., 
19th  May,  1849,  aged  74 ;  John  died  at  Albany,  8th  May,  1853, 
and  Alexander  died  at  Albany,  1st  Sept.,  1864,  in  his  80th  year. 
Uriah  and  Richard  were  in  other  business  in  Albany. 

1  Thomas  Mather  came  from  Lyme,  Conn.,  and  did  a  general 
store  business  in  State  street  below  James,  early  in  the  present 
century,  and  afterwards  became  interested  in  mills  on  the  Wynants 
kil,  and  dealt  in  flour  and  grain  on  the  dock,  corner  of  Trotter's 
alley.  He  was  one  of  the  first  du'ectors  of  the  New  York  State 
Bank,  and  seems  to  have  left  Albany  before  the  war  of  1813.  He 
went  to  Middletown,  Conn.,  where  he  carried  on  a  ^business  with 
the  West  Indies,  shipping  horses  principally,  and  bringing  back 
the  products  of  that  country.  He  died  about  1850  at  an  advanced 
age. 

2  The  fiither  of  Peter  and  John  I.  Boyd  arrived  in  Albany  from 
Scotland  in  1774,  and  his  ten  sons  were  born  and  reared  in  this 
city.  The  firm  commenced  business  in  1803,  and  became  exten- 
sively known  for  its  probity  and  honorable  dealings.  They 
did  business  in  South-market  street,  and  retired  in  1830  with  a 
competency.  Peter  was  an  active  member  of  the  First-presbyte- 
rian  church,  and  diligently  occupied  in  doing  good.  He  reared  a 
numerous  family  and  died  3d  July,  1840,  aged  71.  John  I.  died 
unmarried,  12th  July,  185G,  aged  76. 

3  John  Spencer  died  13th  Aug.,  1824,  aged  44.  The  firm  of 
John  Spencer  &  Co.  consisted  of  himself  and  Thomas  Gould 
about  1808.  The  latter  built  for  the  use  of  the  firm  the  store 
now  occupied  by  Messrs.  Tucker  &  Crawford,  on  what  was  then 
Court  street,  between  State  and  Beaver,  which  was  for  many 
years  the  hardware  row.  Mr.  Spencer  subsequently  associated 
Mr.  Erastus  Corning  with  him  in  the  business,  under  the  same 
firm  name.    In  1819,  an  association  styled  the  Albany  Chamber 


Recollections  of  Albany.  49 

ford/  Isaac  and  George  HuttoDj^tlie  Messrs.  "VYebb,^ 
and  many  others. 

Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Public  Improvements  was  formed, 
the  objects  of  which  were  not  made  public,  but  a  committee  of  five 
was  appointed  for  the  mouth  of  April,  to  settle  any  disputes  that 
might  arise  between  merchants  of  the  city,  who  might  choose  to 
submit  them  for  settlement,  which  consisted  of  Isaiah  Townsend, 
Joseph  Alexander,  Peter  Van  Loon,  Walter  Clarke  and  John 
Spencer.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Spencer,  his  surviving  partner, 
Mr.  Erastus  Corning,  carried  on  the  business  alone  for  some 
years,  and  then  associated  himself  with  John  T.  Norton,  nnder 
the  firm  name  of  Corning  &  Norton ;  and  this  house  became  the 
most  extensive  hardware  establishment  in  the  state  out  of  the  city 
of  New  York  —  Mr.  Corning  having  retired  only  within  the 
last  two  years. 

1  John  Stafford  died  12th  Oct.,  1819,  aged  57,  and  Spencer  died 
10th  Feb.,  1844,  aged  73.  The  latter  lived  at  No.  100  Lydius  street, 
in  the  house  now  owned  and  occupied  by  the  Rev.  I.  N.  Wyckoff ; 
his  place  of  business  was  in  the  row  on  Court  street,  between 
State  and  Beaver.  Mr.  Lewis  Benedict  was  one  of  the  firm  when 
it  was  dissolved,  5tli  March,  1817. 

"^  Isaac  Hutton  died  at  Stuyvesant  Landing,  8th  Sept,  1855, 
aged  68,  and  George  died  at  Rhinebeck.  They  were  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  and  sale  of  silver  ware  and  jewelry,  in  North- 
market  street,  where  Henry  Newman's  store  now  is.  Having 
acquired  money  they  embarked  in  the  manufacture  of  cotton 
goods  and  became  bankrupt. 

3  The  house  of  Webb  &  Dummer  was  established  in  the  fall  of 
1807.  They  advertised  a  new  wholesale  store.  No.  17  State  street, 
opposite  the  post  oflice,  in  the  store  formerly  occupied  by  San- 
ders &  Odgen.  This  was  on  the  site  of  the  Exciiange  building. 
In  1815  they  were  doing  business  where  51  State  street  now  is, 
and  in  July  of  that  year  purchased  the  east  half  of  the  Tontine 
building,  which  was  occupied  by  themselves  and  their  successors 
till  quite  recently.  George  Dummer  retired  and  the  firm  name 
was  afterwards  J.  H.  &  H.  L.  Webb,  which  was  dissolved 
in  March,  1829.  John  H.,  the  partner  of  Dummer,  died  at  Hart- 
ford, Conn.,  14th  Sept.,  1847.     The  firm  afterwards  consisted  of 

7 


50  Recollections  of  Albany. 

There  was  still  auotlier  class,  not  less  active,  nor 
less  important,  in  a  business  point  of  view.  I  al- 
lude to  a  tlien  comparatively  new,  or  recently  es- 

H.  L.  &  C.  B.  Webb  and  Alfred  Douglass.    The  Webbs  sold  out  to 
Gregory  &  Co.,  in  1844.     It  was  the  first  house  in  this  branch  of 
business  that  extended  a  credit  to  the  merchants  of  the  North- 
west territory,  then  almost  a  wilderness,  often  astonishing  the 
burgers  of  Albany  by  a  display  of  packages  marked  Fort  Winne- 
bago, Green  Bay,  Chicago,  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  Pontiac,  &c.,  places 
having  a  very  uncertain  whereabouts  in  the  far  west,  absolutely 
beyond  the  reach  of  civilization.     JVIichigan,  until  the  establish- 
ment of  their  branch  in  Detroit,  in  1834,  drew  her  supplies  al- 
most exclusively  from  them.    Henry  L.  died  at  Hartford,  Conn., 
in  Oct.,  1846.    He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Canal  bank,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  death  was  president  of  the  Gas  Light  company. 
George  Dummer  was  bom  in  New  Haven,  Ct.,  8th  Febraary, 
1782,  and  died  in  Jersey  City,  21st  February,  1853.    After  he  re- 
tired from  the  firm,  he  resided  in  the  city  of  New  York  until 
1825,  when  he  removed  to  Jersey  City,  where  he  had  already  in 
that  year  built  two  extensive  factories;  one  for  the  manufactm-ing 
of  flint  glass  and  the  other  for  making  china  ware.    These  were 
the  first  factories  erected  in  Jersey  City,  and  they  have  contributed 
much  to  its  present  prosperity.     In  the  china  factory  au  excellent 
article  of  porcelain  was  produced ;  but  the  cost  of  manufactuiing 
this  ware  was  too  great  to  bring  it  in  successful  competition  with 
the  imported  article  sold  in  the  American  market.    The  establish- 
ment soon  passed  into  other  hands  and  is  now  known  as  the  Jer- 
sey City  Pottery.     The  glass  house  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
United  States,  and  was  carried  on  by  Mr.  Dummer  from  the  be- 
ginning, with  great  energy,  honesty  and  steadiness  of  purpose, 
through  aU  the  vicissitudes  of  mercantile  revolutions  and  com- 
mercial difficulties,  and  under  every  change  of  the  tariff.    By  his 
abUity  the  works  were  kept  in  full  operation,  while  other  glass 
makers  were  at  times  obliged  to  curtail  their  operations  or  dis- 
continue business  entirely.    A  few  years  before  his  death  he  was 
attacked  by  paralysis,  and  having  lost  his  activity,  and  being  then 
an  invalid,  he  retired  from  business  in  1852.    The  Jersey  City 
Glass  Works  are  now  leased  to  Read  &  Moulds,  able  practical 


Eecollections  of  Albany.  51 

tablished  body  of  mechauics,  of  whicli  Benjamin 
Kuower^  was  confessedly  at  the  head.     Mr.  Knower 

glass  makers,  aud  formerlj"  operatives  in  the  establishment.  Like 
the  vestal  lamps  the  fire  in  the  Jersey  City  Glass  Works  bmiied 
night  and  day  and  never  was  allowed  to  go  out  from  the  time  it 
was  first  lighted  under  the  pots  in  1835,  until  in  March,  1865, 
when  the  absolute  scarcity  of  coal  in  the  New  York  market,  the 
consequently  high  prices,  and  the  constant  demand  of  the  work- 
men for  higher  wages,  which  were  already  exorbitant,  all  caused 
by  the  disturbed  state  of  the  country,  reluctantly  compelled  the 
present  firm  to  suspend  operations  for  a  time.  This  cessation  of 
glass  making  lasted  four  weeks,  when  to  the  joy  of  many  a  wife 
aud  mother  the  fires  were  again  hghted.  A  period  of  fortj'  years 
of  uninterrupted  operations  is  remarkable  in  the  histoiy  of  glass 
maldug  in  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Dummer  was  a  man  of  great  liberality.  He  was  gifted 
with  a  high  degree  of  practical  common  sense,  and  possessed  an 
ardent  love  for  the  beautiful  aud  the  useful.  To  him  the  public 
of  Jersey  City  are  priacipally  indebted  for  their  park  trees,  and  his 
example  in  setting  out  trees  about  all  the  property  under  his  con- 
trol induced  others  to  follow  the  example.  The  amehoration  of 
the  condition  of  the  laboring  classes  constantly  occupied  his  mind 
even  to  the  last  days  of  his  life,  and  he  constantly  introduced 
various  sanitaiy  and  labor  saving  improvements  in  their  abodes 
belonging  to  him,  which  materiallj^  added  to  their  health,  ease 
and  comfort  —  a  benefaction  not  very  frequently  imitated,  and  sel- 
dom duly  appreciated.  In  1826  he  was  chosen  president  of  the 
board  of  selectmen  of  Jersey  City,  and  held  that  office  until  1830. 
A  street  was  named  after  him,  and  although  the  present  genera- 
tion, ignorant  of  the  days  of  old,  have  changed  its  name,  his  kind- 
ness of  heart  and  the  zeal  with  which  he  labored  in  the  days  of 
his  strong  health  for  the  improvements  and  prosperity  of  Jersey 
City  are  still  gratefully  remembered  by  many. 

^Benjamin  Knower  died  23d  Aug.,  1839,  aged  64.  He  was  from 
Massachusetts,  and  resided  in  Albany  nearly  forty  j'cars.  He  was 
a  hatter,  but  also  entered  upon  extensive  commercial  transactions. 
His  place  of  business  was  in  South-market  street,  a  few  doors 
below  Hudsou,  on  the  west  side.     His  career  was  distinguished 


52  Kecollections  of  Albany. 

was  indeed  a  man  of  strong  mind  and  persevering 
energy  of  character.  Through  his  influence,  the 
charter  of  the  Mechanics  and  Farmers'  Bank  was 
obtained ;  and  the  mechanics  of  the  city  of  Albany 
rose  in  consideration  and  respect,  personal  and  po- 
litical, to  a  height  which  they  had  never  before 
reached. 

Among  the  merchants  (I  speak  of  the  period 
from  1800  to  1808),  Mr.  Kane^  was  perhaps  the  most 
prominent.  He  was,  indeed,  in  many  respects,  the 
most  prominent  man  in  the  city  :  prominent  from 
his  extensive  operations  and  business  connections ; 
prominent  from  his  wealth,  his  liberality,  his 
marked  attention  to  strangers,  his  gentlemanly  style 
of  dress,  and  bachelor  mode  of  living.  He  was  dis- 
tinguised,  too,  by  an  address  and  manner  so  singu- 

for  enterprise  and  public  spirit,  and  lie  passed  through  it  with  a 
reputation  for  integrity  unsullied,  and  for  business  capacity  unsur- 
passed. He  was  for  a  long  time  connected  with,  and  took  an 
active  part  in  the  management  of  the  Mechanics  and  Farmers' 
bank,  of  which  he  was  president.  In  1821  he  was  solicited  to 
take  the  office  of  state  treasurer,  which  he  held  until  the  fall  of 
1824,  when  he  resigned.  In  his  occupation  as  a  hatter  he  had 
many  apprentices,  most  of  whom,  as  a  matter  of  course,  were 
without  precuuiary  means,  or  friends  able  to  assist  them.  He 
seemed  to  regard  it  not  only  as  a  duty,  but  a  source  of  personal 
gratification,  to  extend  a  helping  hand  at  this  critical  moment  in 
theu"  lives. 

1  James  Kane  died  2d  April,  1851 ,  aged  80,  the  last  survivor  of  his 
family.  He  retii'ed  to  rest  at  night  as  usual,  and  was  found  dead 
in  his  bed  the  next  morning.  The  small  room  which  he  occupied 
in  the  fourth  stor\'  of  the  American  Hotel,  in  the  south  east  cor- 
ner, overlooked  the  beautiful  grounds  which  he  ornamented  in  his 


^      o 

a:     - 


fa 


Recollections  of  Albany.  53 

larly  polite  and  courteous  as  seemingly  to  border 
upon  excess.  But  let  it  be  remembered,  to  his 
honor,  that  as  no  man  in  the  city  was  more  gene- 
rally'known,  so  there  was  no  one  more  generally  or 
more  highly  respected.  The  courtesy  or  politeness 
of  Mr.  Kane  did  not,  however,  consist  in  mere 

prosperous  days,  and  he  used  to  say  jocosely,  that  his  window 
gave  him  a  view  of  Jimmy  Kaiie's  loalk.  It  may  have  aflForded 
him  a  melancholy  satisfaction  to  contemplate  the  scene ;  but  every 
year  saw  portions  of  it  built  upon.  The  grounds  were  first  quar- 
tered by  running  Westerlo  and  Broad  streets  through  them,  upon 
which  dwellings  and  churches  were  erected,  but  there  still  re- 
mained the  old  mansion,  and  many  of  the  fine  old  trees  which  he 
had  planted  with  his  own  hand. 

The  following  tribute  to  his  memory  was  paid  by  Bishop  Alonzo 
Potter:  "He  had  been  for  years  the  merchant  prince  of  the 
city  in  which  he  lived.  His  ventures  all  seemed  successful ;  his 
mansion  was  the  home  of  a  delightful  hospitality ;  his  grounds 
the  delighted  resort  of  all  ages  and  ranks.  There  was  no  pub- 
lic charity,  no  plan  of  local  or  general  improvement,  which  he  did 
not  gladly  help  forward.  All  at  once  he  was  arrested  by  one  of 
those  sudden  and  wide-spread  revulsions  that  sweep  like  a  tornado 
across  our  commercial  world.  The  stonn  left  him  a  complete 
wreck ;  everything  he  had  on  earth  was  surrendered  to  his  cre- 
ditors, and  he  stood  forth  rich  in  character  and  self-approbation, 
but  penniless  in  purse.  It  was  too  late  in  life,  as  he  thought,  to 
retrieve  his  fallen  fortunes.  He  loved  books :  he  had  neither  wife 
nor  child.  He  was  surrounded  by  the  friends  of  his  youth,  at 
whose  houses  he  was  always  a  welcome  guest.  A  few  creditors 
remitted  their  claims,  and  insisted  upon  his  applying  the  proceeds 
to  his  personal  wants.  He  reluctantly  consented.  For  more  than 
twenty  years  he  lived  amidst  the  scenes  of  his  former  prosperity 
a  poor  but  contented  and  happy  man.  Books  were  friends  that 
rarely  parted  company  with  him.  They  turned  on  him  no  cold 
looks ;  they  gave  him  no  half  welcome ;  and  I  verily  believe  that 
never,  even  in  the  most  brilliant  days  of  a  career  that  made  him 
the  observed  of  all  observers,  did  he  enjoy  himself  so  well  as 


54  Kecollections  of  Albany. 

words  or  modes  of  expression.  It  had  its  founda- 
tion in  good  feeling — I  may  say  in  humanity,  which 
speaks  to  the  heart,  and  is  understood  where  words 
are  not ;  which,  rising  superior  to  forms  and  fash- 
ions, borrows  nothing  from  art,  nothing  from  elo- 
quence. 

I  shall  venture,  by  way  of  illustration,  to  give  an 
instance  of  this  sort  of  politeness.  There  appeared 
at  the  dinner  table  of  the  Tontine  Coffee  House, 
where  Mr.  Kane  then  boarded,  and  at  a  time  when 
the  house  was  crowded  to  excess,  an  old  gentleman 
and  his  wife.  They  were  very  plainly  dressed,  but 
still  respectable  in  their  appearance.  They  were, 
evidently,  country  people,  "from  down  east;"  and 
were  probably  bound  on  a  visit  to  their  relations  in 
the  west.  The  servants,  always  too  few  in  number, 
were  now  altogether  insufficient  to  attend  to  the 
wants  of  the  company  at  table.  The  old  people, 
therefore,  being  strangers,  and  unknown  to  any 
one,  were  totally  neglected.  It  was  shameful !  I 
made  one  or  two  efforts  to  get  a  servant  to  attend 
to  them,  but  all  in  vain :  there  were  too  many  louder 

while  his  whole  stipend  was  two  hundi-ed  dollars  a  year." 

It  raay  be  added  that  it  was  thought  that  the  wealth  of  the 
Kanes  was  greatly  overrated.  They  had  branches  at  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  and  are  said 
to  have  obtained  no  small  amount  of  capital  by  di'awing  on  one 
another.     They  came  from  Orange  county. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  65 

and  more  authoritative  calls.  At  length,  hoTvever, 
they  were  noticed  by  Mr.  Kane,  who  looked  round 
for  his  own  servant,  but  finding  him  engaged,  im- 
mediately left  his  seat  and  walked  down  to  the  lower 
end  of  the  table  where  the  old  couple  sat,  and  po- 
litely asked  tliem  what  they  would  be  helped  to; 
took  their  plates  to  a  side-table,  carved  for  them 
himself,  helped  them  to  vegetables,  bread,  &c.,  and 
then  returned  quietly  to  his  seat.  He  was  doubt- 
less taken  by  the  old  people,  and  perhaps  by  other 
strangers,  for  the  master  of  the  house,  or  the  head 
waiter!  There  was  certainly  no  gentleman  present 
who  dared  to  run  the  risk  of  being  so  mistaken. 
But  Mr.  Kane  could  afi[brd  it.  The  politeness,  or, 
more  properly  speaking,  the  humanity  of  the  act, 
did  him  honor,  and  far  outweighed  the  momentary, 
or  rather  the  imaginary  loss  of  dignity. 

As  a  people,  we  cannot  be  sufficiently  grateful  to 
Providence  for  the  character  of  our  ancestors.  From 
the  Puritans  of  England,  the  Huguenots  of  France, 
and  the  Protestants  of  the  Netherlands,  did  this 
country  derive  the  seeds  and  elements  of  its  great- 
ness: its  purity  of  fiiith,  its  principles,  and  its  power. 
To  them,  under  Providence,  are  we  indebted  for 
our  civil  and  religious  liberties,  the  character  of  our 
institutions,  and  the  hardy,  resolute  and  enterprising 
spirit  of  the  nation.     Talents  and  virtues  are  alike 


56  Recollections  of  Albany. 

hereditary,  though  the  stream  is  not  always  un- 
broken by  shallows,  nor  the  measure  of  its  greatness 
always  full.  There  must,  I  think,  have  been  a 
strong  fund  of  good  sense  and  native  talent  in  the 
early  Dutch  settlers.  We  have  seen  it  break  out 
occasionally,  even  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  genera- 
tions; and  sometimes,  too,  quite  unexpectedly,  as  in 
the  case  of  Ex-President  Van  Buren,^  whose  imme- 
diate antecedents  gave  no  promise  of  such  an  erup- 
tion, or  even  foreshadowed  the  probability  of  such 
an  event.  Still,  in  all  such  cases,  there  must  have 
been  a  living  spring  (no  matter  how  remote)  from 
whence  the  waters  flowed. 

Among  the  Dutch  families  of  Albany,  in  which 
a  strong  vein  of  original  talent  occasionally  mani- 
fested itself,  were  those  of  the  Schuylers,  the  Van 
Vechtens,  the  Lansings,  and  the  Yateses.  General 
Schuyler,^  of  the  Revolution,  was  a  man  of  great 

1  Martin  Van  Buren,  while  governor  of  the  state,  occupied  a 
house  in  State  street,  next  above  the  west  corner  of  South- 
pearl,  which  had  been  erected  bj^  .John  Stevenson  in  the  time  of 
the  Revolution,  and  was  demolished  in  1841. 

2  Philip  Schuyler  died  18th  Nov.,  1804,  aged  83.  The  Dutch 
family  of  Schuyler  stands  conspicuous  in  our  colonial  annals. 
Colonel  Peter  Schuyler  was  mayor  of  Albany,  and  commander  of 
the  northern  militia  in  1690.  He  was  distinguished  for  his  probity 
and  activity  in  all  the  various  duties  of  civil  and  military  hfe.  No 
man  understood  better  the  relation  of  the  colony  with  the  Five 
Nations  of  Indians,  or  had  more  decided  influence  with  that  con- 
federacy. He  had  frequently  chastised  the  Canadian  French  for 
their  destructive  incm'sions  upon  the  frontier  settlements ;  and  his 


Eecollections  of  Albany.  57 

vigor  of  mind,  strong  sense,  and  sound  judgment; 
which  was  happily  associated  with  liberal  feelings, 

zeal  and  energy  were  rewarded  by  a  seat  in  the  provincial  council, 
and  the  house  of  assembly  gave  their  testunony  to  the  British 
court  of  his  faithful  services  and  good  reputation.  It  was  this 
same  vigUant  officer  who  gave  intelligence  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Deei-field,  on  Connecticut  river,  of  the  designs  of  the  French  and 
Indians  upon  them,  some  short  time  before  the  destruction  of  that 
village  in  1704.  In  1720,  as  president  of  the  comicil,  he  became 
acting  governor  of  the  colony  for  a  short  time,  pre\ious  to  the 
accession  of  Governor  Burnet.  His  son,  Colonel  Philip  Schuyler, 
was  an  active  and  efficient  member  of  assembly  for  the  city  and 
county  of  Albany  in  1743.  But  the  Philip  Schuyler  here  alluded 
to,  and  who  in  a  subsequent  age  shed  such  signal  lustre  upon  the 
famUy  name,  was  bom  at  Albany  in  the  j'ear  1783 ;  and  at  an 
early  age  he  began  to  display  his  active  mind  and  militaiy  spirit. 
He  was  a  captain  in  the  New  York  levies  at  Fort  Edward  in  1755, 
and  accompanied  the  British  army  in  the  expedition  down  Lake 
George  in  the  summer  of  1758.  He  was  with  Lord  Howe  when 
he  fell  l)y  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  on  landing  at  the  north  end  of 
the  lake,  and  he  was  appointed  to  convey  the  body  of  that  young 
and  lamented  nobleman  to  Albany,  where  he  was  buried  with  ap- 
propriate solemnities  in  the  Episcopal  chm'ch.  We  next  find  him 
under  the  title  of  Colonel  Schuyler,  in  company  with  his  com- 
jiatriot  George  Clinton,  in  the  year  1768,  on  the  floor  of  the  house 
of  assembly,  taking  an  active  share  in  all  their  vehement  dis- 
cussions. On  the  nineteenth  of  June,  1775,  Philip  Schuyler  was 
appointed  by  congress  the  third  major  general  in  the  armies  of 
the  United  Colonies.  In  July,  1775,  he  was  placed  at  the  head  of 
a  board  of  commissioners  for  the  northern  department,  and  in 
September,  1775,  was  acting  under  positive  instnictions  to  enter 
Canada ;  and  he  proceeded,  with  Generals  Montgomcrj^  and  Woos- 
ter  under  his  command,  to  the  Isle  aux  Noix.  He  had  at  that  time 
become  extremely  ill,  and  was  obliged  to  leave  the  command 
of  the  expedition  to  devolve  upon  Gen.  Montgomciy.  His  ac- 
tivity, skiU  and  zeal  shone  conspicuouslj^  throughout  that  arduous 
northern  campaign  ;  and  his  unremitting  corresiiondence  received 
the  most  prompt  and  marked  consideration.    On  the  thirtieth  of 


58  Recollections  of  Albany. 

and  principles  of  honor  and  patriotism.  He  should 
by  right  have  commanded  that  army  in  the  revolu- 

December,  1775,  he  was  ordered  to  disarm  the  disaffected  inhabit- 
ants of  Tryon  county,  then  imder  the  intiuence  of  Sir  John  John- 
son; and  on  the  eighteenth  of  Januaiy  following,  he  made  a 
treaty  with  the  chsaffected  portion  of  the  people  in  the  western 
part  of  that  state.  On  the  eighth  of  Januaiy,  1776,  he  was  ordered 
to  have  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  above  and  below  Quebec,  well  ex- 
plored. On  the  twenty-fifth  of  January  he  Avas  ordered  to  have 
the  fortress  of  Ticonderoga  repahed  and  made  defensible;  and  on 
the  seventeenth  of  February  he  was  directed  to  take  com- 
mand of  the  forces,  and  conduct  the  mUitaiy  operations  at  the  city 
of  New  York.  AU  these  cumulative  and  conflicting  orders  from 
congress  were  made  upon  him  in  the  course  of  six  weeks,  and 
they  were  occasioned  by  the  embarrassments  and  distresses  of  the 
times.  In  March,  1776,  congress  changed  then-  plan  of  operation, 
and  directed  Gen.  Schuyler  to  establish  his  head  quarters  at 
Albany,  and  superintend  the  army  destined  for  Canada.  By  his 
thorough  business  habits,  his  precise  attention  to  details,  and  by  his 
sldll  and  science  in  eveiy  duty  connected  with  the  equipment  of 
an  army,  he  was  admirably  fitted  to  be  at  the  head  of  the  com- 
missariat ;  and  he  gave  life  and  vigor  to  every  branch  of  the 
service.  On  the  fourteenth  of  June,  1776,  he  was  ordered  by 
congress  to  hold  a  treaty  with' the  Six  Nations,  and  engage  them 
in  the  interest  of  the  colonies.  His  preparations  for  taking  im- 
mediate possession  of  Fort  Stanwix,  and  erecting  a  fortification 
there,  received  the  approbation  of  congress.  He  was  ordered,  on 
the  seventeenth  of  June,  to  clear  Wood  creek,  and  construct  a 
lock  upon  the  creek  at  Skeensborough,  and  to  take  the  level  of  the 
waters  falling  into  the  Hudson  at  Fort  Edward  and  into  Wood 
creek.  On  the  first  of  August  following,  he  was  on  the  upper 
Mohawk,  providing  for  its  defense  and  security ;  and  again  in  Oc- 
tober we  find  him  on  the  upper  Hudson,  and  calling  upon  the 
Eastern  states  for  their  militia.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
northern  frontier,  in  the  campaign  of  1776,  was  indebted  for  its 
extraordinary  quiet  and  security  to  the  ceaseless  activity  of  Gen. 
Schuyler.  At  the  close  of  that  year  he  was  further  instructed  to 
build  a  floating  battery  on  the  lake,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Indepen- 
dence, and  also  to  strengthen  the  works  at  Fort  Stanwix.    In  the 


Recollections  of  Albany.  59 

tionary  war,  wliicli,  in  tlie  day  of  battle,  he  joined 
as  a  volunteer, — a  man  greatly  his  inferior  ha\dng 

midst  of  such  conflicting  and  harassing  services,  he  had  excited 
much  popular  jealousy  and  ill  will,  arising  from  the  energy  of  his 
character  and  the  dignity  of  his  deportment,  and  in  October,  1776, 
tendered  to  congress  the  resignation  of  his  commission ;  but 
when  congress  came  to  investigate  his  services,  they  found  them, 
says  the  historian  of  Washington,  far  to  exceed  in  value  any  esti- 
mate which  had  been  made  of  them.  They  declared  that  they 
could  not  dispense  with  his  services,  during  the  then  situation  of 
aJffau's ;  and  they  dii'ected  the  president  of  congress  to  request  him 
to  continue  in  his  command,  and  they  declared  theu-  high  sense  of 
his  services  in  the  memorable  campaign  of  1777.  Gen.  Schuylei- 
was  still  in  the  command  of  the  whole  northern  department,  and  ho 
made  eveiy  exertion  to  check  the  progress  of  the  enemy.  Ticon- 
deroga  being  assailed,  and  suddenly  evacuated  by  Gen.  St.  Clair, 
Gen.  Schuyler  met  on  the  upper  Hudson  the  news  of  the  retreat ; 
and  he  displayed,  says  the  candid  and  accm-ate  historian  of  "Wash- 
ington, the  utmost  dihgence  and  judgment  in  that  gloomy  state  of 
things.  He  etfectually  impeded  the  navigation  of  Wood  creek. 
He  rendered  the  roads  impassable.  He  removed  eveiy  kind  of 
provisions  and  stores  beyond  the  reach  of  the  enemy.  He  sum- 
moned the  mihtia  of  New  York  and  New  England  to  his  assist- 
ance; and  he  answered  the  proclamation  of  BurgojTie  by  a 
counter  proclamation,  equally  addressed  to  the  hopes  and  fears  of 
the  country.  Congress,  by  their  resolution  of  the  seventeenth  of 
July,  1777,  approved  all  the  acts  of  Gen.  Schuyler  in  reference  to 
the  army  at  Ticonderoga;  but  the  evacuation  of  that  fortress  ex- 
cited great  discontent  in  the  United  States,  and  Gen.  Schuyler  did 
not  escape  his  share  of  the  popular  clamor,  and  he  was  made  a 
viotim  to  appease  it.  It  was  deemed  expedient  to  recall  the  general 
officers  in  the  northern  army,  and  in  the  month  of  August  he 
was  superseded  in  the  command  of  that  department  by  the  arrival 
of  Gen.  Gates.  The  laurels  which  he  was  in  preparation  to  win 
by  his  judicious  and  distinguished  efforts,  and  which  he  would 
very  shortly  have  attained,  were  by  that  removal  intercepted  from 
his  brow.  Gen.  Schuyler  felt  acutely  the  discredit  of  being  re- 
called in  the  most  critical  and  interesting  period  of  the  campaign 


60  Recollections  of  Albany. 

been  placed  over  his  head.  But  no  neglect  or  in- 
jury could  alienate  his  feelings,  or  weaken  hia 
attachment  to  the  cause  of  his  country. 

of  1777,  and  when  the  labor  and  activity  of  making  preparations 
to  repair  the  disaster  of  it  had  been  expended  by  him ;  and  -when 
an  opportunity  was  opening,  as  he  obseiTed,  for  that  resistance 
and  rctaliaton  which  miglit  bring  gloiy  upon  our  arms.  If  error 
be  attributable  to  the  evacuation  of  Ticonderoga,  says  the  his- 
torian of  Washmgton,  no  portion  of  it  was  committed  by  Gen. 
Schuyler.  But  liis  removal,  though  unjust  and  severe  as  respected 
himself,  was  rendered  expedient,  according  to  Chief  Justice  Mar- 
shall, as  a  sacrifice  to  the  prejudices  of  New  England.  He  was 
present  at  the  captm-e  of  Burgoyne,  but  without  any  personal 
command,  and  the  m'banity  of  his  manners,  and  the  chivalric 
magnaniniitj'  of  his  character,  smarting  as  he  was  under  the  ex- 
tent and  severity  of  his  pecuniary  losses,  was  attested  by  Gen. 
Bui'goyne  himself  in  his  speech  in  1778  in  the  British  house  of 
commons.  He  there  declared,  that,  by  his  orders,  "  a  very  good 
dwelling-house,  exceeding  large  store-houses,  great  saw-miUs,  and 
other  out-buildings,  to  the  value  ahogether  perhaps  of  10,000?., 
belonging  to  Gen.  Schuyler,  at  Saratoga,  were  destroyed  by  fire,  a 
few  days  before  the  surrender."  He  said  further,  that  one  of  the 
first  persons  he  saw  after  the  convention  was  signed,  was  General 
Schu}"ler ;  and  when  expressing  to  him  his  regret  at  the  event 
which  had  happened  to  his  property,  Gen.  Schuyler  desired  him 
"to  think  no  more  of  it,  and  that  the  occasion  justified  it  accord- 
ing to  the  principles  and  rales  of  war.  He  did  more,"  said  Bur- 
goyne ;  "  he  sent  an  aid-de-camp  to  conduct  me  to  Albany,  in  order, 
as  he  expressed  it,  to  procure  better  quarters  than  a  stranger 
might  be  able  to  find.  That  gentleman  conducted  me  to  a  very 
elegant  house,  and,  to  my  great  smprise,  presented  me  to  I^Irs. 
Schuyler  and  her  family.  In  that  house  I  remained  during  my 
whole  stay  in  Albany,  with  a  table  with  more  than  twenty  covers 
for  me  and  my  friends,  and  every  other  possible  demonstration  of 
hospitahty."  He  had  been  elected  to  congress  in  1777,  and  he 
was  reelected  in  each  of  three  followmg  years.  On  his  return  to 
congress,  after  the  termination  of  his  mihtary  hfe,  his  talents,  ex- 
perience and  energy  were  put  in  inmiediate  requisition.    In  1781 


ABRAHAM  VAN  YECHTEN. 

Nat.  1762  ;  Ob.  1837. 


Recollections  op  Albany.  61 

The  talents  and   character  of  Ahraham   Van 
Vechten,^  are  still  fresh  in  the  memory  of  the 

he  was  in  the  senate  of  this  state.  In  1789  he  was  elected  to  a 
seat  in  the  first  senate  of  the  United  States ;  and  when  his  term 
of  service  expired  in  congress,  he  was  replaced  in  the  senate  of 
this  state.  In  1793  he  was  verj^  active  in  digesting  and  bringing 
to  maturity  that  early  and  great  measure  of  state  poUcy,  the  es- 
tablishment of  companies  for  inland  lock  navigation.  He  was 
placed  at  the  head  of  the  direction  of  both  of  the  navigation  com- 
panies, and  his  mind  was  ardently  directed  for  years  towards  the 
execution  of  those  hberal  plans  of  internal  improvement.  In 
1796  he  urged  in  Ids  place  in  the  senate,  and  afterwards  pubhshed 
in  a  pamphlet  form,  his  plan  for  the  improvement  of  the  revenue 
of  this  state ;  and  in  1797  liis  plan  was  almost  literally  adopted, 
and  to  that  we  owe  the  institution  of  the  office  of  comptroller. 
In  1797  he  was  unanimously  elected  by  the  two  houses  of  our 
legislature,  a  senator  in  congress ;  and  he  took  leave  of  the  senate 
of  this  state  in  a  hberal  and  alfectiug  address,  which  was  inserted 
at  large  upon  tlieh  journals.  But  the  life  of  this  great  man  was 
dra^ving  to  a  close.  His  faculties  seemed  to  retain  their  unim- 
paired vigor  and  untiring  acti\aty,  though  he  had  evidently  lost 
some  of  his  constitutional  ardor  of  temperament  and  vehemence  of 
feeling.  He  was  sobered  by  age,  chastened  by  aflJiction,  broken 
by  disease ;  and  yet  nothing  could  surpass  the  interest  excited  by 
the  mild  radiance  of  the  eveniiig  of  his  days. — James  Kent. 

^Abraham  Van  Vechten  died  Gth  Jan.,  1837.  He  was  born 
at  Catskill,  5th  Dec,  1763;  was  married  34th  ]\[ay,  1784,  to  Cath- 
arine, daughter  of  Philip  P.  Schuyler  and  Anna  Wendell.  He 
received  his  elementary  education  at  a  public  school  in  Esopus, 
now  Kingston,  and  entered  upon  the  scenes  of  active  life  soon 
after  the  revolutionary  war.  He  pursued  his  professional  studies 
under  the  direction  of  the  late  Chancellor  Lansing,  and  began 
the  practice  of  law  in  the  county  of  Montgomery,  but  was  soon 
invited  to  occupy  a  more  extensive  field  in  the  city  of  Albany. 
The  high  places  at  the  bar  were  then  filled  by  a  gifled  race  of  ad- 
vocates, among  whom  were  Hamilton,  Harrison,  Jones,  Burr  and 
Livingston.    But  the  brilhancy  of  the  bar  could  not  cast  young 


62  Recollections  of  Albany. 

living.  He  was  one  of  the  ablest  members  of 
tlie  Albany  bar,  when  that  bar  was  studded  with 
eminent  names. 

Van  Vecliten  iu  the  shade.  He  soon  ranked  among  his  illus- 
trious seniors  as  an  equal  and  a  competitor  for  the  highest  pro- 
fessional eminence.  Untiring  in  his  efforts,  the  powers  of  his 
highly  gifted  mind  were  continually  developed  and  expanded. 
His  intellect  was  formed  to  grapple  with  the  most  abstruse  and 
difficult  subjects  of  judicial  investigation ;  and  he  early  inured 
himself  to  the  most  intense  application  of  mental  industry.  In 
acuteness  and  the  ready  comprehension  of  any  subject  presented 
for  his  investigation,  he  had  few  equals.  And  nature  seemed  to 
have  furnished  him  with  powers  eminently  adapted  to  the  illus- 
tration of  legal  principles.  He  made  no  dis^jlay  of  legal  lore,  his 
learning  seemed  to  be  incorporated  with  his  thoughts.  What  he 
had  once  read  was  well  digested  and  remained  ever  ready  for  ap- 
plication. A  large  portion  of  his  life  was  spent  in  the  discussion 
of  legal  questions  in  our  highest  tribunals  of  law  and  equity ; 
there  he  was  always  listened  to  with  profound  attention  by  our 
most  eminent  judges.  His  arguments  were  calculated  to  elucidate 
and  instruct,  and  greatly  to  aid  the  tribimals  to  which  they  were 
addressed  in  forming  correct*  conclusions.  His  style  was  re- 
markable for  purity,  perspicuity  and  strength.  His  train  of 
thought  was  always  logical  and  correct.  In  his  manner  he  was 
usually  calm  and  unimpassioned,  yet  earnest  and  forcible.  His 
talents  were  too  conspicuous  to  allow  him  to  confine  his  efforts 
to  the  bar.  He  was  repeatedly  chosen  to  represent  his  fellow 
citizens  in  both  branches  of  the  legislature.  The  senate  chamber 
was  the  theatre  of  some  of  his  highest  intellectual  efforts.  As  a 
member  of  the  court  for  the  correction  of  errors  he  has  left  be- 
hind him  enduring  monuments  of  his  legal  wisdom.  For  a  num- 
ber of  years  he  filled  the  office  of  attorney  general  with  distin- 
guished ability.  At  an  early  period  of  his  life  a  seat  on  the  bench 
of  the  supreme  court  was  offered  to  him  by  Gov.  Jay ;  a  similar 
offer  was  made  to  him  at  a  later  period.  He  declined  these  prof- 
fered honors,  preferring  the  labors  of  the  bar  as  more  congenial 
to  his  habits  and  his  feelings.    The  causes  in  our  books  of  re- 


Recollections  of  Albany.  63 

Chancellor  Lansing/  though  not  possessed  of 

shining  talents,  was  nevertheless  a  man   of  good 

ports  in  which  he  took  a  part  as  counsel,  numerous  as  tlicy  arc, 
give  but  a  faint  idea  of  the  amount  of  professional  labor  per- 
formed by  him.  For  more  than  half  a  centuiy  his  brilliant  mind 
was  constantly  shedding  its  light  over  the  jurisprudence  of  the 
state.  The  bar  had  long  delighted  to  accord  to  him  the  highest 
honors  they  could  bestow.  To  the  younger  members  of  the  pro- 
fession he  had  greatly  endeared  himself  by  his  kindness  and 
courteous  manners  ;  and  by  all  he  was  venerated  as  an  illustrious 
model  of  professional  excellence.  In  his  daily  consultations 
with  his  clients  he  was  emphatically  a  peace  maker.  It  was  his 
constant  habit  to  advise  to  the  settlement  of  disputes  whenever 
it  was  practicable.  He  allowed  no  sordid  motives  to  influence 
his  advice,  or  to  bias  his  mind  in  giving  his  opinions. 

He  was  recorder  of  the  city  of  Albany  from  1797  to  1808 ;  state 
senator  from  1798  to  1805,  and  from  1816  to  1820;  member  of 
assembly  from  1805  to  1815 ;  attorney  general  of  the  state  for  the 
year  1810,  and  was  again  appointed  in  1813,  and  served  two  years ; 
and  was  a  member  of  the  constitutional  convention  of  1821. 

His  character  as  a  citizen  in  the  private  walks  of  life  afforded  a 
model  of  excellence.  He  constantly  displayed  in  his  intercourse 
with  his  neighbors  and  acquaintances  the  most  amiable  social 
qualities  which  adorn  the  human  heart.  To  his  other  traits  of 
character  was  added  one  which  is  justly  deemed  of  far  the  most 
importance ;  he  was  a  sincere  behever  in  the  Savior  of  the  world 
and  a  venerated  member  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church.  In 
her  judicatories  his  paternal  counsels  were  listened  to  with  re- 
verence, as  eminently  calculated  to  promote  the  peace  and  pros- 
perity of  the  church.  His  disinterestedness  was  a  prominent 
feature  in  his  character  and  was  the  foundation  of  that  un])ounded 
confidence  which  was  reposed  in  him  by  all  who  knew  him.  In 
his  domestic  circle  he  was  remarkable  for  kindness  and  aflTection- 
ate  attention  to  the  feelings  and  wants  of  those  who  were  depend- 
ent upon  him. 

iJoHN  Lansing  Jr.  disappeared  on  the  12th  December,  1829,  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  and  was  never  more  heard  of.  He  went  out 
from  the  City  Hotel  in  the  evening,  which  was  stormy,  it  is 


64  Recollections  of  Albany. 

abilities  and  of  strict  integrity.  His  brother,  Abra- 
ham G./  was  a  man  of  sound  sense  and  vigorous 
tone  of  mind;  rough,  and  somewhat  abrupt  in  his 
manner,  but  upright,  frank  and  fearless,  in  conduct 
and  in  character. 

supposed  to  deposit  a  letter  in  the  box  wMcli  was  provided  in  the 
river  steam-boats,  for  the  accommodation  of  letters  too  late  for  the 
mail,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  drowned.  His  age  was  76. 
No  event  had  caused  a  deeper  sensation  in  the  city  since  the  death 
of  Dc  Witt  Clinton.  At  an  early  period  of  his  life  he  entered  the 
office  of  Robert  Yates,  afterwards  chief  justice,  as  a  clerk  in  the 
study  of  the  law.  He  afterwards  became  a  member  of  the  mili- 
tary family  of  Gen  Philip  Schuyler,  and  during  the  revolutionary 
war  was  a  distinguished  member  of  the  state  convention  that 
conducted  the  civil  and  military  operations  of  the  state.  He  soon 
after  was  appointed  mayor  of  the  city,  and  in  1787  was,  with  Chief 
Justice  Yates  and  General  Hamilton,  delegated  by  the  state  as  a 
member  of  the  convention  which  formed  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States.  It  is  well  known  what  part  those  gentlemen  took 
in  the  discussions  connected  with  that  subject.  Chief  Justice 
Yates  and  Chancellor  Lansing  withdrew  from  the  convention, 
and  were  known  as  anti-federalists.  They  opposed  the  adoption 
of  the  constitution  principally  because  it  did  not  more  effectually 
secure  the  rights  of  the  individual  states ;  and  to  those  men  and 
their  copatriots  we  are  indebted  for  the  ten  amended  articles 
which  were  subsequently  made  a  part  of  that  constitution.  On 
his  return  he  was  made  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court,  chief  justice 
and  finally  chancellor  of  the  state.  His  residence  was  on  the 
north-west  corner  of  Broadway  and  Steuben  street.  For  a  more 
extended  sketch  of  him  see  Street's  CoumUof  Bevision,  159-64. 

^Abrahaji  G.  Lansing  died  in  Sept.,  1834,  aged  77.  He  was 
an  active  supporter  of  the  American  revolution,  and  held  several 
important  offices  during  that  struggle ;  at  the  close  of  the  war  he 
received  appointments  to  various  responsible  offices,  state  and 
national,  all  of  which  he  discharged  creditably. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  65 

Old  Judge  Yates/  one  of  tlie  members  of  the  con- 
vention that  framed  the  constitution,  was  a  clear- 
headed, strong-minded  man;  straight  forward, 
honest  and  patriotic.  His  son,  John  Yan  ISTess 
Yates,^  was  a  man  of  talents,  l)oth  natural  and 
acquired.  He  was  equal  to  the  duties  of  any  sta- 
tion, and  to  the  difficulties  of  any  task.  He  was  a 
wit,  a  poet,  a  belles-lettres  scholar,  and  a  boon  com- 
panion, whose  joke  was  ever  ready,  and  whose 
laugh  was  contagious.  He  wanted  nothing  but 
industry  and  self-respect,  to  have  made  him  emi- 
nent as  a  lawyer.     His  associations  were  beneath 

1  Robert  Yates,  a  man  of  great  intellectual  power,  was  born 
in  Sclienectady,  27tli  Jan.,  1738;  in  1777  he  was  appointed  one 

£-m__^^m-=^^^  of  the  first  justices  of  the  supreme 
-^EJ^^^^^I^^y*-  court  of  the  state,  and  in  1790  became 
IiIh^^  ^  chief  justice.     His  house  stood  on  the 

flB^fe';/     ,  ^;L_*  ^'ite  of  106  State  street,  and  was  after 

j-i-]        'M   l;ffli    his  death  occupied  by  his  son  John 
'  jy  __ZiJ  r,&,   ^'^"^  '^ass  Yates.    After  the  death  of 

■^\\  '  jT^  ^lil  *'^'^  latter  it  was  converted  to  divers 

jJB||^|ji|j|i!mi-  i'Mw.  "'"^'*'  "^^^'^  ^'^''^^  '^""*''  ^^'5^'  ^'^^^^  ^t 
mIIIIII  lllli  IE;^ki^l,^^^B|i  ^^'^^  demolished,  for  the  erection  of  the 
^^^mss^^^^^^^^^  liresent  structure.  In  1765  Mr.  Yates 
marrit'd  Jane  VauNe^s;  he  died  9th  September,  1801.  For  an 
extended  biography  of  him  see  Street's  Council  of  Becuion ,  108-72. 

2  John  Van  Ness  Yates  died  10th  Jan.,  1838,  aged  60.  lie 
held  various  civil  and  military  offices,  and  was  secretary  of  state 
in  1824.  In  1807  a  quota  of  12,000  men  was  required  to  be  raised 
to  prevent  British  aggression  ;  he  commanded  a  company  of 
light  infantry,  which  unanimously  tendered  their  services  to  the 
president,  and  signified  to  him  by  letter  their  immediate  readiness 
for  actual  service. 

9 


QQ  Recollections  of  Albany. 

him,  not  only  in  point  of  talent,  but  in  cliaracter; 
yet  they  affected  his  interests  rather  than  his  princi- 
ples. He  possessed  the  readiest  apprehension,  and 
the  most  retentive  memory,  of  any  man  I  ever  knew. 
All  that  he  had  ever  read,  and  he  had  read  a  vast 
deal,  was  at  his  fingers  ends.  He  was  often  con- 
sulted by  the  younger  members  of  the  bar,  while 
walking  in  the  streets;  and,  without  a  moment's 
hesitation,  would  take  out  his  pencil  and  write  down 
what  was  the  law  in  the  case,  and  where  it  was  to 
be  found — volume,  chapter  and  verse.  From  these 
frequent  street  consultations,  he  was  called  The 
Walking  Library. 

But  the  cleverest  man  of  the  name  or  family, 
was  John  "W.  Yates. ^  He  was  a  man  of  education, 
of  talents,  of  natural  eloquence,  and  of  extensive 
reading.  He  was  the  best  classical  scholar  in  the 
city  —  Judge  Kent  not  excepted.  He  was  familiar 
with  the  Greek,  Latin  and  French  languages  and 
literature;  a  mathematician,  and  a  passionate  lover 
of  the  belles-lettres.     He  was  bred  to  the  law  but 

1  John  W.  Yates,  casliier  of  the  New  York  State  Bank  died 
28th  March,  1828,  aged  58.  He  received  a  liberal  education, 
having  been  graduated  at  Columbia  College  in  1787.  Although 
educated  for  the  bar,  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  Bank  of  Albany, 
where  he  continued  until  the  incorporation  of  the  New  York 
State  Bank,  when  he  received  the  appointment  of  its  first  cashier. 
He  held  the  office  twenty-four  years,  and  sustained  the  character 
of  a  man  of  integrity  and  of  business  talents. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  67 

never  attempted  to  practice ;  yet,  I  repeat,  he  was 
naturally  eloquent,  and,  in  his  buoyant  moments, 
one  of  the  most  lively  and  agreeable  men  in  con- 
versation that  I  ever  met  with. 

Such  a  man,  it  is  natural  to  suppose,  made  a 
figure  in  his  day :  no  such  thing ;  he  made  no 
figure  at  all.  He  was  not  appreciated  by  the 
public,  because  the  public  knew  nothing  of  him. 
He  was  not  known  even  to  his  friends,  for  the  very 
good  and  sufiicient  reason  that  his  friends  knew 
nothing  of  Greek  or  Latin,  of  mathematics  or  of 
poetry.  It  was  curious  to  find  him  reading  Homer 
with  a  pipe  in  his  mouth ;  and  to  see  him  turn 
from  the  page  of  Thucydides,  to  talk  Dutch.  Yet 
this  alternation  between  the  languages  of  Athens 
and  Amsterdam,  was  in  some  measure  unavoida- 
ble ;  for  many  of  his  old  friends,  and  indeed  most 
of  the  old  families,  continued  to  speak,  in  their 
domestic  circles,  the  language  of  their  ancestors 
long  after  the  period  to  which  these  sketches  refer. 

Though  no  man  set  a  higher  value  upon  literary 
acquirements  than  himself,  yet  he  took  no  pains 
to  exhibit,  much  less  to  profit  by  those  he  pos- 
sessed. Political  distinction  he  never  sought,  and 
never  desired.  He  had  no  taste  for  popular  parade, 
no  love  for  public  display.  He  was  in  fact  better 
acquainted  with  Pericles  and  Xeuophon  than  he 


68  Recollections  of  Albany. 

was  with  tlie  alderman  of  the  ward  in  which  he 
lived.  His  knowledge  of  ancient  history  was  more 
perfect  than  that  of  any  other  man  I  ever  knew, 
nor  was  that  of  modern  Europe  less  familiar. 
History,  poetry  and  philosophy ;  Egypt  and  Asia, 
Athens  and  Eome,  with  all  their  classic  supersti- 
tions and  diviner  arts,  were  the  subjects  of  many 
an  evening  conversation,  to  which  I  listened  with 
delight. 

To  this  faint  sketch  of  his  literary  character,  I 
may  add,  that  no  man  possessed  a  higher  sense  of 
honor,  or  was  governed  in  his  conduct  by  purer 
principles.  His  talents  and  his  tastes  were,  indeed, 
altogether  above  the  position  in  which  he  was 
placed  ;  and  hence,  instead  of  giving  him  celebrity, 
they  served  but  to  render  him,  in  some  measure, 
misuited  to  the  station  he  held.  But  never  will 
that  station,  or  that  official  rank,  be  again  honored 
with  so  much  learning,  combined  with  so  much 
talent. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  this  is  a  mere  fancy 
sketch,  "  writ  for  the  sake  of  writing  it."  It  is  a 
tribute  justly  due  to  the  memory  of  a  man  whose 
merits  were  unappreciated,  and  comparatively 
unknown.  It  is  a  tribute  which  I  owe  to  the 
recollection  of  his  partiality  and  kindness ;  to  the 
memory  of  many  a  friendly  lecture  —  many  a  social 
—  many  a  pleasant  hour. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  69 

Of  tlie  public  men  of  Albany,  office  holders, 
politicians  and  jurists,  it  may  be  expected  that  I 
should  say  something.  Among  the  most  promi- 
nent were  George  Clinton,^  John  Taylor,^  Ambrose 
Spencer,^  James  Kent,'*  Chancellor  Lansing,^  Abra- 

1  George  Cll!\ton,  first  governor  of  the  state  of  New  York, 
and  vice-president  of  the  United  States,  was  the  youngest  son  of 
Col.  Charles  Clinton.    He  died  20th  April,  1813,  aged  73. 

2  John  Tayler  was  born  in  New  York,  4th  July,  1743,  and  at 
the  age  of  17  removed  to  Albany.  In  the  last  two  years  of  the 
French  war  he  was  with  the  army  at  Lake  George  and  Oswego 
as  a  trader,  and  at  the  latter  place  acquired  the  Indian  language. 
He  continued  in  this  employment  until  1771,  when  he  settled  on 
a  small  fami  at  Stillwater,  where  he  resided  two  years,  and  re- 
turned to  Albany;  He  engaged  in  trade,  and  early  in  the  revo- 
lution was  entrusted  by  Gen.  Schuyler  with  an  important  ser- 
vice in  Canada.  He  was  subsequently  elected  a  member  of  the 
provincial  congress  and  state  convention.  In  1777-79,  '80,  '81, 
'86,  '87,  he  was  in  the  assembly,  and  in  1803  and  1804-14  in  the 
senate.  Upon  the  death  of  Lieut.  Gov.  Broome,  he  was  chosen 
president  of  the  senate,  Jan.,  1811 ;  and  from  1814  to  1833  he 
held  the  office  of  lieutenant  governor  by  election  ;  and  from  Feb. 
24  to  July,  1817,  he  acted  as  governor  in  place  of  Gov.  Tompkins, 
elected  to  the  vice-presidency.  In  1803  he  was  elected  a  regent 
of  the  imiversity,  and  in  1814  became  chancellor  of  the  board. 
He  died  at  his  residence  in  Albany,  19th  March,  1839.  His  house 
was  the  site  of  the  present  Cooper's  Building.  His  portrait  hangs 
in  the  New  York  State  Bank  at  Albany,  of  which  he  was  the  first 
president.     See  Street's  Council  of  Revision^  147. 

5  Ambrose  Spencer  died  13th  March,  1848,  aged  83.  He  was 
attorney  general  in  1803,  and  judge  of  the  supreme  court  in  1819. 
Although  a  Federalist  at  first,  he  early  joined  the  Republicans, 
and  was  the  warm  friend  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  two  of  whose  sisters 
he  married  for  his  second  and  third  wives.  His  residence  was  in 
Washington  street,  since  occupied  bj^  his  son  John  C. 

*  Jajsies  Kent  died  in  New  York,  13th  Dec,  1847,  aged  84. 

5  John  Lansing  Jr.,  ante,  p.  63. 


70  Eecollections  of  Albany. 

ham  Van  Vccbten,^  John  V.  Ileniy,^  John  Wood- 
worth,^  Thos.  Tillotson,'*  Abraham  G.  Lansimg,^ 
EUsha  Jenkins,'^  EJmond  Charles  Genet,^  and  last, 

1  Abraham  Van  Vechten,  ante,  p.  Gl. 

2  John  V.  Henry  fell  in  the  street  and  died  of  apoplexy,  22d 
Oct.,  1829,  aged  64. 

^  John  Woodworth  died  1st  June,  1858,  aged  90.  See  Beminis- 
cenccs  of  Troy,  2d  ed.,  p.  31. 

*Tno5iAS  TiLLOTSON  was  secretary  of  state  from  1801  to  1807; 
lie  came  from  Redhook,  Dutchess  county,  and  returned  thither. 
He  was  also  member  of  assemblj' in  1788,  and  state  senator  from 
1791  to  1799. 

^  Elisha  Jenkins.  —  This  gentleman  was  the  most  distinguished 
member  of  the  once  numerous  and  wealthy  family  whose  name  is 
inseparably  connected  with  the  early  history  of  the  city  of  Hud- 
son. Though  liberally  educated,  his  turn  of  mind  led  him  to 
mercantile  rather  than  to  professional  pursuits :  and  he  became  a 
leading  partner  in  the  well  known  house  of  Thomas  Jenkins  & 
Sons.  Retiring  from  business  with  a  competent  fortune,  he  took 
an  active  part  in  the  political  contest  that  brought  Mr.  Jefferson 
into  power.  Shortly  after  that  event,  he  removed  from  Hudson 
to  Albany,  where  he  received  the  appointment  of  comptroller, 
and  subsequently  that  of  secretary  of  state.  He  was  a  man  of 
excellent  sense  and  sound  judgment :  and  carried  with  him  into 
public  life,  amenity  of  manners,  F  strict  integrity,  and  business 
habits.  He  was  an  accomplished  merchant,  an  upright  and  in- 
telligent public  officer,  a  liberal  minded  politician,  and  a  perfect 
gentleman  in  every  walk  of  life. 

"  Edmond  C.  Genet  died  at  his  farm  in  Greenluish  near  Al- 
bany, 14th  July,  1834,  aged  71.  He  arrived  in  this  country  in 
1793,  as  minister  plenipotentiary  from  France,  to  reside  at 
Charleston ;  but  having  authorized  the  arming  of  vessels  in  that 
port  against  nations  with  whom  the  nation  was  at  peace,  his  re- 
call was  demanded  by  Washington.  Yet  he  continued  to  reside 
here  during  his  lifetime,  took  an  interest  in  agriculture,  and  the 
improvement  of  the  navigation  of  the  river  below  Albany,  advo- 
cating a  ship  canal,  which  he  followed  up  with  great  pertinacity 
for  a  number  of  years,  but  without  success. 


JH.HALi  ^  <g\> 

SOLOMON  SOUTHWICK. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  71 

though  not  least,  the  editor  of  the  Albany  Begisier, 
Solomon  Soiithwick  !  These  are  names  too  well 
known  to  require  any  comment.  3Iamj  of  them 
are  identified  with  the  history  of  the  state,  and  will 
be  chronicled  in  its  pages. 

I  cannot  in  courtesy,  however,  pass  over  my  old 
friend  Southwick,^  without  some  other  notice  than 
that  of  a  mere  casual  glance  of  recognition, 

Southwick  was  a  man  of  genius,  with  all  the 
peculiarities  that  belong  to  that  temperament  —  its 
strength  and  its  weakness,  its  excellencies  and  its 
errors :  its  delusive  dreams  and  visions,  its  impro- 
vidence and  its  instability.  He  had  great  fertility 
of  mind,  united  with  great  enthusiasm.  This  was 
the  source  of  his  eloquence  and  his  power.  His 
writings  were  rather  outpourings  than  compositions. 
Yet  he  imbued  them  with  so  much  life  and  anima- 
tion, that  he  seldom  failed  to  carry  his  readers  with 
them.  His  style,  though  well  adapted  to  the  popu- 
lar ear,  was  redundant  in  epithet,  inflated  and 
declamatory,  and  his  language,  though  often  strong 
and  impressive,   was  yet  in   the   main,   loose   and 

1  Solomon  Sottthwick  was  born  at  Newport,  R.  I.,  25th  Dec, 
1773,  and  died  in  Albany,  18th  Nov.,  1839,  aged  66.  He  came  to 
this  city  in  1792,  and  connected  himself  with  the  Albany  Reguter, 
conducted  l)y  Robert  Barber,  whose  sister  he  married,  and  Avhom 
he  succeeded,  as  proprietor  of  tiie  Begister,  in  1808.  For  an  ex- 
tended Ijiograpliy  of  him  see  Anwds  of  Albany,  V,  104.  Ilis  widow 
died  30  Jan.,  1861,  aged  88. 


72  Recollections  of  Albany. 

inelegant.  lie  road  but  little,  and  only  from  ne- 
cessity. He  referred  to  books  for  particular  facts, 
rather  than  for  general  information. 

He  was,  by  nature,  honest,  warm-hearted  and 
generous  to  a  fault,  but  seemed  to  have  no  fixed 
or  settled  principles.  In  ethics,  as  well  as  in 
politics,  he  traveled  from  pole  to  pole.  Yet  the 
kindness  of  his  nature  went  with  him  and  never 
forsook  him.  His  heart  and  his  hand  were  always 
open ;  and  as  he  was  credulous  to  excess,  and 
even  superstitious,  he  was,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
swindled  by  every  knave,  and  duped  by  every 
impostor  he  met  with  upon  the  road. 

He  was  extremely  fluent  and  even  eloquent  in 
conversation.  But  he  had  little  knowledge  of  the 
world,  and  the  predominance  of  interest  or  of 
passion,  left  his  judgment  too  often  at  fault.  He 
had  the  finest  eye  and  forehead  that  ever  belonged 
to  mortal  man,  but  every  feature  of  his  face  was 
either  indififerent  or  defective.  His  countenance, 
therefore,  was  an  index  to  the  character  of  his 
mind  —  incongruous,  mixed,  and  full  of  contra- 
dictions. 

The  Albany  Register,^  which  he  so  long  and 
ably   edited,   was  pronounced,  by  Judge   Spencer, 

1  The  Albany  Begister  was  begun  in  1788,  by  the  Republicans,  tlie 
Albany  Gazette  having  become  identified  with  the  Federal  party. 


Eecollectioxs  of  Albany.  73 

to  be  the  "  Political  Bible  of  the  Western  District." 
A  greater  compliment  was  certainly  never  paid 
to  the  conductor  of  a  political  journal. 

Mr  Southwick  held,  at  difierent  periods,  the 
office  of  state  printer,  clerk  of  the  house  of  as- 
sembly, sheriff  of  the  county  of  Albany,  president 
of  the  Mechanics  and  Farmers'  Bank,  and  post- 
master of  the  city.  Even  in  the  cloudy  days  of 
his  latter  years,  when  friends,  fame  and  fortune 
had  forsaken  him,  when  every  objectionable  act 
of  his  life  was  spread  upon  the  record,  and  all  his 
faults  and  weaknesses  blazoned  to  the  public  eye; 
even  then  he  received  over  thirty  thousand  votes 
for  governor  of  the  state. 

For  a  long  time  both  parties  had  used  the  cohimns  of  the  hitter 
paper,  the  editors  refraining  from  any  political  writing  of  their 
own,  and  when  the  proceedings  of  political  meetings  were  too  vo- 
luminous for  the  small  sheet  then  printed,  the  surplus  matter  was 
issued  in  handbills,  or  broadsides.  Robert  Barber,  who  had  been 
an  apprentice  in  the  Gazette  office,  purchased  his  remaining  time, 
and  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  Register.  John  Barber,  the 
brother  of  Robert,  was  a  teacher,  and  his  assistance  was  called 
into  the  concern.  Robert  died  in  1808,  and  John  in  1813.  Mr. 
Southwick  came  into  the  establishment  in  1792,  and  soon  took  a 
prominent  position  in  it.  He  wielded  a  great  power  during  nearly 
a  quarter  of  a  century ;  but  it  was  announced  in  the  licgister  of 
13th  May,  1817,  that  it  w^as  determined  to  stop  its  publication, 
not  for  want  of  subscribei's,  he  says,  but  on  account  of  their  ddiii- 
quency.  His  subscribers  are  supposed  to  have  been  universally 
acquainted  with  the  story  related  by  Rabelais,  of  one  Phillii)ot 
Plact,  who  though  brisk  and  hale,  fell  dead  as  he  was  paj'ing  an 
old  debt,  which  doubtless  deterred  them  from  paying  theirs,  fear- 
ing a  like  accident. 

10 


74  Recollections  of  Albany. 

Of  the  clergy  of  tliose  days,  if  I  am  wise,  I  shall 
say  but  little  :  first,  because  I  recollect  but  little  ; 
and  secondly,  because  with  me,  the  subject  is 
not  a  debatable  one.  One's  opinions,  unless 
moulded  early,  are  often  formed  by  accident,  or 
spring  up  as  the  result  of  circumstances.  It  has 
often  occurred  to  me  as  not  a  little  singular,  that 
my  attention  should  have  been  turned  to  the 
unkindred  subjects  of  politics  and  religion,  at 
about  the  same  period  of  time.  The  noise  and 
triumph  of  Mr.  Jeflersou's  election  to  the  presi- 
dency, led  me  to  look  a  little  into  the  mysterious 
philosophy  of  party  politics  ;  and  the  preaching 
of  Dr.  N'ott,!  carried  me,  nolens  volens,  into  the 
Presbyterian  brick  church  of  South-pearl  street.^ 
Thus  I  acquired,  at  nearly  one  and  the  same  time, 
a  decided   inclination   to  church  and  state;    or,  in 

'  Of  all  the  persons  mentioned  in  these  reminiscences,  it  is  1)e- 
lieved  Dr.  Nott  is  the  only  survivor.  He  was  born  in  Ashford, 
Conn.,  25th  .June,  1773. 

''This  is  the  oldest  church  edifice  in  the  city,  having  been 
erected  in  1796,  and  is  now  occupied  by  the  Congregationalists, 
imder  Dr.  Palmer.  There  were  not  at  this  time  more  than  seven 
or  eight  church  edifices.  Two  of  these  were  Dutch  Reformed, 
one  Lutheran,  one  Episcopal,  one  Presbyterian,  one  German  Re- 
formed, which  may  at  this  time  have  been  occupied  by  the  Se- 
ceders,  and  one  Cathohc.  These  are  mentioned  in  the  order  of 
seniority.  There  was  also  a  society  of  Scotch  Presbyterians, 
and  of  Methodists;  the  traveler  Rochefaucault-Liancourt  says 
the  latter  had  a  society  here  in  1794;  whether  they  had  a  church 
or  worshipped  in  private  houses  does  not  appear. 


FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH, 

Now  ConOTegalional . 


Recollections  of  Albany.  75 

other  words,  a  marked  taste  for  politics  and 
preaching.  No  one  certainly,  could  have  studied 
under  abler  masters  ;  and  for  many  of  the  opinions 
I  entertain  to  this  day,  I  hold  those  masters 
responsible. 

But  the  only  names  belonging  to  the  church,  of 
which  my  memory  took  cognizance,  at  the  period 
referred  to,  or  of  which  I  have  an}"  distinct  recol- 
lection, are  those  of  Kott,  Romaine  and  Bradford.^ 

Mr.  Bradford  was  a  well  educated  —  well  read  — 
and  gentlemanly  man.  He  was,  moreover,  one 
of  the  handsomest  men  in  the  city,  which  in  the 
minds  or  fancies  of  the  fairer  part  of  his  congre- 
gation, added  no  doubt  to  his  eloquence,  and  of 
course  to  his  usefulness  in  the  church.  Mr.  Ro- 
maine  was  an  able  man,  of  a  denunciatory  and 
vehement  style  of  oratory  —  altogether  too  Calvin- 
istic  to  suit  the  taste  of  his  hearers.  But  it  must 
be  remembered  that, 

1  John  Melancthon  Bradford  was  born  iu  Daubury,  Conn., 
15th.  May,  1781,  and  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  the  Re- 
formed Protestant  Dutch  Church  in  Albany,  11th  Aug.,  1805.  He 
was  called  by  resolution  of  an  extraordinary  meeting  of  the  great 
consistoiy,  under  a  salary  of  $1,500.  He  was  to  be  required  to 
preach  but  once  on  each  sabbath,  during  the  first  year,  and  his 
salary  was  to  be  increased  $250  in  the  event  of  his  man-iage.  He 
continued  in  the  pastoral  charge  about  fifteen  years,  commanding 
large  audiences,  and  ranking  among  the  distinguished  pulpit  ora- 
tors of  the  day.    He  died  25th  March,  1836,  aged  45. 


76  Recollections  of  Albany. 

"  No  rogue  that  e'er  felt  the  haUer  draw, 
"With  good  opinion  of  the  law." 

Doctor  IS'ott,  I  should  saj,  was  neither  a  Cal- 
vinist  nor  a  Lutheran.  In  other  words  he  was 
no  bigoted  sectarian  ;  and  in  this  respect,  he  bore, 
and  still  bears  I  think,  but  little  resemblance  to 
many  of  his  clerical  brethren.  In  mind^  as  well 
as  in  manner,  he  stood  alone.  The  narrow  dogmas, 
and  common  place  oratory  of  the  church,  were 
beneath  him.  His  ambition  was  to  make  men 
wiser  and  heiier,  rather  than  to  promote  the  sec- 
tarian interests  and  speculative  tenets  of  the 
church.  The  eloquent  enforcement  of  that  single 
injunction  "  to  do  unto  others  as  you  would  have 
others  do  unto  you,"  would  to  an  unsophisticated 
mind  be  of  more  efficacy  than  a  dozen  dry  dis- 
courses upon  evidence,  which  no  novice  requires,  or 
upon  those  knotty  points  in  theology,  which  no 
intellect  can  comprehend.  But  it  is  not  my 
business  to  preach,  nor  am  I  disposed  to  criticise 
the  preaching  of  others.  All  I  mean  to  say  is, 
that  Doctor  I^ott  was  by  far  the  most  eloquent  and 
eiiective  preacher  of  the  period  to  which  I  refer ; 
that  he  drew  together  the  largest  congregation  — 
made  the  deepest  impression,  and  commanded  the 
profoundest  respect. 


MUTo  EOiPMM.Ei'  mmn  mm  'ililm. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  77 

His  church  was  filled  to  overflowing.  His  ap- 
pearance in  the  pulpit,  his  style  of  eloquence,  his 
very  look, 

"  Drew  audience  and  attention  still  as  night, 
Or  summer's  noontide  air " 

His  elocution  was  admirable,  and  his  manner  alto- 
gether better,  because  more  impressive,  than  that 
of  any  other  preacher  of  the  day :  yet  he  could  not, 
I  think,  have  been  over  twenty-eight  or  thirty  years 
of  age  when  I  first  heard  him,  which  was  in  1803. 
Shortly  afterwards  I  had  the  pleasure  of  becoming 
personally  acquainted  with  him,  and  soon  found  he 
possessed  powers  and  qualities  of  which  his  congre- 
gation little  dreamed.  His  talents  were  by  no  means 
confined  to  pulpit  eloquence,  nor  even  to  the 
wider  range  of  clerical  duties.  His  information 
extended  to  almost  every  department  of  life;  and 
with  the  whole  fabric  of  human  society  he  was  per- 
fectly familiar.  He  understood  the  animal  man, 
not  only  in  the  abstract,  but  in  all  the  detail  of 
action,  passion  and  propensity.  He  was,  moreover, 
a  mechanist,  a  political  economist,  a  philosopher, 
and  what  is  of  more  consequence  in  any  ivalk  of  life, 
a  man  of  keen  observation  and  sound  sense.  But 
he  is  still  living,  and  too  widely  known,  to  require 
any  portraiture  from  my  pen. 


78  Eecollections  of  Albany. 

BATTLE   IN   STATE  STREET. 

Among  other  incidents  and  events,  falling  within 
the  range  of  these  reminiscenes,  was  the  famous 
-passage  of  arms,  that  took  place  hetween  an  eminent 
citizen  and  a  distinguished  general,^  in  one  of  the 
principal  streets  of  the  city,  in  open  day.  It  was 
a  perilous,  hand  to  hand  encounter,  that  brought 
together,  at  least,  one  half  of  the  male  population 
of  the  town  —  not  as  spectators  merel}^,  but  as  com- 
batants, who,  like  the  knights  of  old,  entered  the 
lists  with  an  alacrity  and  a  spirit  that  would  have 

iJoHN  Tayler  and  Solomon  Van  Eensselaer-  This  af- 
fray took  place  21st  April,  1807,  a  few  clays  before  the  general 
election.  It  grew  out  of  the  hostility  engendered  among  the 
leaders  of  the  two  great  parties,  the  Federalists  and  Republicans, 
by  the  publication  of  incendiary  resolutions  in  the  public  news- 
papers and  in  handbills,  which  became  lurid  with  patriotic 
emotion,  as  the  day  of  election  appropinquated.  The  pungent 
resolutions  of  the  Eepublicans  at  their  meeting  whereat  Mr.  Ehsha 
Jenkins  was  secretary,  sat  heavily  upon  the  brain-pans  of  the 
Federalists,  and  pricked  on  Gen.  Solomon  Van  Rensselaer  to  test 
the  efficacy  of  personal  chastisement.  Accordingly,  as  appears  by 
the  testimony  of  witnesses,  he  overtook  Mr.  Jenkins  walking 
leisurely  down  State  street,  and  felled  him  with  his  cane.  In  the 
afternoon  of  the  same  day,  as  he  was  perambulating  the  same 
street,  he  Avas  accosted  by  Gov.  Tayler  anent  the  unprovoked 
assault  of  the  morning.  The  parties  immediately  squared  off  for 
an  encounter,  and  a  multitude  at  once  surrounded  them.  As 
they  were  very  nearly  in  front  of  Gov.  Tayler's  house,  Dr.  Charles 
D.  Cooper  came  to  the  assistance  of  his  father-in-law,  and  at- 
tempted to  separate  the  combatants ;  Mrs.  Cooper  also  entering 
the  melee  for  the  same  purpose.  Francis  Bloodgood,  another 
relation  by  marriage,  approached  Gen.  Van  Rensselaer  from  be- 


Recollections  of  Albany.  79 

done  honor  to  the  heroes  of  chivalry,  when  chivahy 
was  in  its  prime,  and  knighthood  in  its  glory.  The 
full  breadth  of  State  street,  from  Pearl  down  to  the 
intersection  of  Conrt  and  Market,  was  literally 
filled  with  the  combatants ;  while  the  doors,  porches, 
Avindows,  and  even  the  house-tops  on  both  sides, 
were  crowded  with  astonished  and  terrified  specta- 
tors. The  street,  viewed  from  any  elevated  posi- 
tion, resembled  a  tumultuous  sea  of  heads,  over 
which  clattered  a  forest  of  canes ;  the  vast  body 
now  surging  this  way,  now  that,  as  the  tide  of  com- 
bat ebbed  or  flowed.     It  was,  certainly,  one  of  the 

hind,  and  struck  him  down  with  a  cane.  Here  the  combatants 
were  separated,  Gen.  Van  Rensselaer  being  veiy  seriously 
wounded.  A  trial  of  both  cases  of  assault  and  battery  ensued,  ou 
the  16th,  17th  and  18th  August,  1808,  before  Simeon  De  Witt, 
James  Kane,  and  John  Van  Schaick,  arbitrators.  The  following 
awards  were  given,  with  costs  against  the  defendants  in  each 
case: 

Jenkins  against  Van  Rensselaer, $2,500. 

Van  Rensselaer  against  Tayler, 300. 

Van  Rensselaer  against  Cooper, 500. 

Van  Rensselaer  against  Bloodgood,.. . . .  3,700. 
The  trial  was  published  in  a  pamphlet,  where  the  curious  reader 
may  find  the  whole  testimony  elicited,  and  the  arguments  at 
length  of  the  eminent  counsel,  six  in  number ;  consisting  of  Abra- 
ham Van  Vechten,  Elisha  Williams  and  John  Woodworth,  for 
Gen.  Van  Rensselaer ;  and  Thomas  R.  Gold,  Ebenezer  Foote  and 
John  Champlin,  for  Messrs.  Jenkins,  Tayler,  Cooper  and  Blood- 
good.  Gov.  Tayler  was  then  sixty-five  years  of  age,  and  Gen. 
Van  Rensselaer  in  the  prime  of  life.  The  excitement  of  political 
strife  never  before  nor  since  drew  men  of  their  character  and 
standing  into  such  an  extraordinary  colhsion  in  the  streets  ot 
Albany. 


80  Kecollections  op  Albany. 

most  classic  or  Greek-like  battles  that  had  been 
fought  since  the  wars  of  Ilium,  and  the  heroic  days 
of  Hector  and  Achilles.  But  as  it  respects  the 
origin  of  the  war,  the  names  of  the  combatants 
and  the  details  of  the  fight,  are  they  not  written  in 
the  book  of  the  kings  of  Judah  and  Israel !  If  not, 
they  may,  perhaps,  be  found  in  the  chronicles  of 
the  lives  of  the  illustrious  fathers  of  the  city.  Cer- 
tain it  is  that  the  battle  has  already  been  described; 
and  the  record,  like  the  Iliad,  will  be  found  imper- 
ishable ! 


It  is  a  little  curious,  when  we  consider  what 
Albany  now  is,  to  look  back  and  recollect,  that 
so  late  as  1803,  there  was  but  one  public  house  in 
the  city ;  or,  at  least,  but  one  in  any  respect  better 
than  a  common  signpost  tavern,  such  as  no  gentle- 
man of  the  present  day  would  put  his  foot  in :  but 
that  one  was  an  excellent  one.  I  allude  to  the 
Tontine  Cofiee  House  in  State  street,  kept  by  Mr. 
Gregory '}  a  house  distinguished  from  all  other 
public  houses  of  that  day,  by  the  quiet  order  that 

^  Matthew  Gregory  was  bom  in  a  part  of  Norwalk,  Conn., 
now  "Wilton,  21st  August,  1757.  His  father  was  Ezra  Gregory, 
who  was  bom  in  the  same  place  in  1726,  and  his  grandfather  Dea- 
con Matthew  Gregory,  bom  1680,  beyond  whom  the  family  cannot 
be  traced.  The  house  occupied  by  the  latter  is  supposed  to  have 
been  erected  about  1650,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  present  Gregory 


Recollections  of  Albany.  81 

reigned  tliroiigli  all  its  departments;  by  its  perfect 
neatness,  and  the  total  absence  of  a  bar.  The  higher 
rates  of  fere  charged  at  the  Tontine,  and  the  fact 

House  in  1750,  which  is  still  in  excellent  repair.  It  was  built 
about  two  hundred  feet  from  the  site  of  the  first  house  by  Deacon 
Matthew  Gregory  who  died  in  it  in  May,  1777,  aged  97.  His  arm 
ehair  is  still  preserved.  His  sons  were  Matthew  and  Ezra,  the  lat- 
ter born  21st  May,  1726,  man-ied  20th  Jan.,  1751,  and  died  at  the 
Gregory  House  (where  he  lived,  and  where  all  his  children  were 
born)  at  a  time  of  life  not  much  past  his  prime.  He  had  seven  sous 
and  two  daughters,  most  of  whom  lived  to  an  advanced  age.  The 
third  son  was  Matthew,  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  The  youngest 
daughter,  Mrs.  Betts,  is  stiU  living  at  Meadville,  Penn.,  aged  95. 
The  fourth  son  was  Moses,  who  occupied  the  homestead  till  his 
death,  23d  May,  1837,  aged  75  —  a  homestead  which  has  known 
six  generations,  whose  lives  reach  back  through  a  period  of  one 
hundred  and  eighty-five  years.  To  this  place  the  members  of  the 
family  have  ever  made  periodical  visits,  especially  on  the  feast  days 
of  Connecticut.  The  neat  old  mansion,  the  old  door  with  its  glass- 
eyed  windows,  the  trees  with  their  heavy  and  luxuriant  foliage, 
are  there  as  in  other  days  —  but  the  sound  of  familiar  footsteps 
and  voices  are  no  more  —  the  Gregory  House  has  but  a  single  occu- 
pant. Mr.  Gregory  entered  the  army  a  month  after  the  war  was 
declared,  at  the  age  of  17.  He  received  the  warrant  of  serjeant 
in  the  8th  Connecticut  regiment.  Col.  John  Chandler,  1st  July, 
1777  ;  19th  Nov.,  1778,  was  promoted  to  serjeant-major,  and  20th 
April,  1779,  was  commissioned  an  ensign  bj'  congress.  He  was  at 
the  battles  of  White  Plains,  Monmouth,  and  perhaps  at  Trenton. 
He  shared  the  hardships  of  the  forlorn  hope  at  Valley  Forge  dur- 
ing the  terrible  winter  of  1777  -  78.  In  the  latter  years  of  his  life 
he  frequently  reverted  to  the  hardships  he  endured  there,  "  sleeping 
on  hoop  poles,  having  only  salt  meat,  and  but  little  of  it,  and  getting 
the  scurvy."  He  participated  in  the  capture  of  Cornwallis,  which 
was  a  theme  his  enthusiasm  kindled  upon  to  the  latest  period  of 
his  life.  It  was  also  one  of  the  proud  events  of  his  soldier  life, 
that  while  he  was  with  the  army  during  one  winter  at  West  Point, 
he  dined  three  times  with  General  Washington.  On  the  10th 
February,  1783,  he  was  commissioned  by  congress  first  lieutenant 
11 


82  Recollections   of  Albany. 

that  no  liquors  were  sold  except  to  its  own  boarders, 
nor  ever  seen  except  at  table,  excluded  the  lovj  and 
thirsty,  and  left  it,  as  it  were,  by  a  law  of  its  nature, 

in  the  Connecticut  line.  He  "was  in  the  service  seven  years  and 
eight  months,  lacking  but  one  month  of  the  whole  period  of  the 
war.  On  the  termination  of  the  war  Lieut.  Gregorj'  returned  to 
his  native  town.  In  1789  he  became  a  member  of  the  Cincinnati, 
his  diploma  of  membership  bearing  the  signature  of  Washington. 
About  1791  he  removed  to  Waterford,  Sar.  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
kept  a  small  inn,  at  which  ^Mr.  Jefferson  and  ]VIr.  Madison  were 
severally  his  guests.  He  came  to  Albany  in  1803,  and  took  charge 
of  the  Tontine,  whicli  was  a  distinguished  institution  of  the  citJ^ 
His  education  had  been  mostly  gained  in  the  army.  In  business 
he  was  prompt,  attentive,  industrious  and  careful ;  his  manners 
dignified,  but  cold.  He  was  a  man  of  gi'eat  neatness,  exact  in  his 
dress,  having  always  the  appearance  and  manner  of  a  gentleman, 
and  wore  the  stjie  of  dress  incident  to  the  fashion  of  the  latter  part 
of  the  last  century,  as  late  as  1816.  IVIr.  Gregorj'  became  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  Eagle  Tavern,  on  the  corner  of  Court  and  Hamilton 
streets  it  is  thought  as  early  as  1806.  It  was  conduct  ed  on  the  same 
general  plan  as  the  Tontine  had  been,  and  was  almost  equally  distin- 
guished. It  was  a  great  place  of  resort  during  the  war  with  Great 
Britain.  Having  acquired  a  fortune,  Mr.  Gregory  retired  from 
business  in  1814,  at  the  age  of  57,  and  purchased  the  property 
known  as  Congress  Hall,  in  one  of  the  residences  of  which  he 
lived  nearly  thu'ty-five  years.  From  this  time  his  life  and  smTound- 
ings  were  that  of  a  gentleman  of  leisure.  He  was  one  of  the 
committee  appointed  to  meet  Gen.  La  Fayette  and  escort  him  to 
the  city  in  1824 ;  and  it  was  in  his  parlor  that  the  general  held  one 
of  his  receptions.  Mr.  Gregory  moved  in  a  life  that  was  as  regular 
as  the  succession  of  the  seasons.  He  annually  made  a  visit  to  the 
place  of  his  birth,  and  as  there  were  no  rail  roads  in  those  days,  he 
usually  went  with  carriage,  driver,  daughter  and  grand-children. 
At  the  age  of  eighty-seven  he  was  still  erect,  active,  sprightly, 
fashionably  dressed,  but  his  thoughts  never  moved  out  of  a  pre- 
scribed circle,  nor  did  his  life  deviate  from  certain  fixed  habits. 
He  rose  early  and  went  to  the  barber's  before  breakfast.  His 
ambition  was  to  get  there  before  Dr.  Peter  Wendell.     However 


^^ 


t/2 


f7} 


Recollections  of  Albany.  83 

open  to  good  company  alone.  I  need  not  say  that 
it  was  Avell  filled :  it  was,  at  least  half  the  year, 
reduntantly  full.  All  travelers  of  any  note  or  con- 
cold,  slipperj'  or  stormy,  it  was  indispensable  to  go  to  the  barber's 
and  walk  a  mile  lef<yre  breakfast.  And  although  he  merely  went 
aromid  the  block,  he  seemed  mentally  to  enjoy  his  full  mile.  If 
he  rode  it  was  always  at  eleven ;  and  if  accompanied  by  guests,  his 
direction  was  invariably  Cohoes  and  Waterford,  and  he  arrived 
home  to  dine  at  three.  He  had  a  habit  of  going  to  the  roof  to  ex- 
amine the  gutters,  and  could  not  be  persuaded  that  it  was  unsafe  for 
a  man  of  his  years  to  venture  in  such  places.  He  insisted  that  he  had 
never  fallen  there  in  all  his  life ;  and  although  his  friends  expected 
that  he  would  come  tumbling  down,  it  seemed  to  be  no  part  of 
his  plan.  At  12  o'clock  noon,  he  took  gin  and  water  with  a  cracker, 
and  drank  wine  with  his  dinner.  In  the  evening  he  dosed  in  his 
chair,  or  walked  the  floor.  He  would  persist  that  he  never  slept 
in  the  day  time,  although  he  might  have  just  waked  from  a  clever 
slumber  in  his  chair.  He  uniformly  retired  when  the  clock  struck 
ten,  and  if  the  young  people  wished  to  get  him  to  bed  earlier,  it 
could  only  be  done  by  setting  the  clock  forward.  He  as  persist- 
ently declared  that  he  had  not  been  angry  in  thirtj^years,  although 
an  attempt  to  correct  him  on  this  point  led  to  a  demonstration 
of  the  fallacy  of  his  memory.  He  attended  church  as  method- 
ically and  exactly  as  he  did  everything  else.  During  the  sessions 
of  the  legislature  he  went  frequently  to  the  senate,  and  was  always 
honored  with  a  seat  within  the  bar.  He  attended  with  great  regu- 
larity the  meetings  of  the  board  of  directors  of  tlie  Bank  of  Albany, 
of  which  he  was  long  a  member.  He  attended  to  his  own  busi- 
ness exclusively  to  the  close  of  his  life,  and  never  extended  any 
confidence  in  relation  to  his  finances.  Mr.  Gregory  was  approach- 
ing the  close  of  his  ninety-first  year  when  his  vigor  suddenly  waned, 
and  he  expired  on  the  4th  of  June,  1848.  A  full  length  portrait  of 
him  hangs  in  the  Orphan  asylum,  an  institution  which  he  befriended 
in  his  will.  He  had  two  children,  both  of  wliom  lie  survived. 
His  son  never  married.  His  daughter  was  the  wife  of  Dr.  Joel 
A.  Wing;  she  died  in  1837.  His  grandson,  Matthew  Gregoiy 
Wing,  was  graduated  at  Yale  in  1847,  resided  several  years  in 
Europe,  and  died  at  Santa  F6,  New  Mexico,  5th  July,  1860,  aged 
34. 


84  Recollections  of  Albany. 

sequence  ;  all  foreigners  of  distinction  ;  in  one  word 
all  gentlemen  put  up  at  the  Tontine,^  For  a  period 
of  some  ten  or  twelve  years,  Mr.  Gregory  had  no 
competition,  no  rival  house  to  contend  with  ;  and 

1  In  July,  1793,  a  meeting  of  citizens  was  held  for  tlie  purpose 
of  organizing  a  company  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  commodi- 
ous public  house.  The  plan  of  a  constitution  was  drawn  up, 
under  which  the  company  was  to  take  the  name  of  the  Albany 
Hotel-Tontine  Company,  the  capital  of  which  was  fixed  at 
$15,000,  divided  into  1,000  shares.  The  price  of  the  lot  was  fixed 
at  $3,000;  the  cost  of  the  building,  at  $10,000 ;  outhouses,  $1,000  ; 
furniture,  $1,000.  The  plan  was  thought  to  be  "  a  happy  inven- 
tion to  secure  an  advantageous  property  to  children  who  may 
arrive  to  years  of  discretion."  Individuals  were  entreated  by  the 
Gazette  not  to  monopolize  more  than  ten  shares !  This  scheme 
seems  to  have  failed  at  this  time,  but  was  resumed  a  few  years 
later,  and  resulted  in  the  erection  of  the  building,  now  numbered 
51  and  53  State  street.  It  seems  to  have  been  completed  in  1798, 
and  first  occupied  by  Ananias  Piatt,  who  had  previously  kept  a 
public  house  in  Lansingburgh,  and  was  the  pioneer  of  the  stage 
proprietors  between  Albany,  Troy  and  Lansingburgh.  In  May, 
1801,  it  came  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Gregory,  who  issued  the 
following  advertisement : 

"  Tontiiu  Coffee  House. —  Mat.  Gregory,  from  the  village  of 
Waterford,  has  taken  the  Tontine  Coffee  House,  State  street,  in 
the  city  of  Albany.  He  has  also  provided  himself  with  a  large 
yard,  stable,  &c.,  for  horses  and  carriages,  for  convenience  of  the 
gentleman  traveler.  The  house  has  been  kept  for  three  years 
past  by  Mr.  Ananias  Piatt,  and  will  be  open  and  ready  to  wait 
on  those  who  may  be  pleased  to  call  on  him,  the  15th  inst.  Every 
attention  in  his  line  of  business  shall  be  strictly  attended  to,  by 
the  public's  humble  servant.  Mat.  Gregory." 

This  house  is  alluded  to  by  Mr.  John  Lambert,  an  English  tra- 
veler, w^ho  visited  Albany  in  1807,  who  speaks  also  of  the  dietetic 
customs  of  the  day.  "We  had  excellent  accommodations  at 
Gregory's,  which  is  equal  to  many  of  our  hotels  in  London.  It 
is  the  custom  in  all  the  American  taverns,  from  the  highest  to  the 


Recollections  of  Albany.  85 

was  tlierefore  compelled,  I  do  not  say  reluctantly^  to 
make  a  fortune  ! 

Manners,  'tis  said,  change  with  customs ;  and 
customs,  we  all  know,  change  sometimes  for  the 
worse.     I  have    seen   something  of  public  houses 

lowest,  to  have  a  sort  of  iaUe  d'hote,  or  public  table,  at  which  the 
inmates  of  the  house  and  travelers  dine  together  at  a  certain 
hour.  It  is  also  frequented  by  many  single  gentlemen  belonging 
to  the  town.  At  Gregory's  upwards  of  thirty  sat  down  to  dinner, 
though  there  were  not  more  than  a  dozen  who  resided  in  the 
house.  A  stranger  is  thus  soon  introduced  to  an  acquaintance 
with  the  people,  and  if  he  is  traveling  alone  he  will  find  at  these 
tables  some  relief  from  the  ennui  of  his  situation.  At  the  better 
sort  of  American  taverns  or  hotels,  very  excellent  dinners  are 
provided,  consisting  of  almost  every  thing  in  season.  The  hour 
is  from  two  to  three  o'clock,  and  there  are  three  meals  in  the  day. 
They  breakfast  at  eight  o'clock  upon  rump  steaks,  fish,  eggs,  and 
a  variety  of  cakes,  with  tea  or  coffee.  The  last  meal  is  at  seven 
in  the  evening,  and  consists  of  as  substantial  fare  as  the  breakfast, 
with  the  addition  of  cold  fowl,  ham,  &c.  The  price  of  boarding 
at  these  houses  is  from  a  dollar  and  a  half  to  two  dollars  per  day. 
Brandy,  Hollands,  and  other  spirits,  are  allowed  at  dinner ;  but 
every  other  liquor  is  paid  for  extra.  English  breakfasts  and  teas, 
generally  speaking,  are  meagre  repasts  compared  with  those  of 
America ;  and  as  far  as  I  had  an  opportunity  of  observing,  the 
people  live,  with  respect  to  eating,  in  a  much  more  luxurious 
manner  than  we  do,  particularly  in  the  great  towns  and  their 
neighborhoods.  But  their  meals,  I  think,  are  composed  of  too 
great  a  variety,  and  of  too  many  things,  to  be  conducive  to  health ; 
and  I  have  little  doubt  but  that  many  of  their  diseases  are  engen- 
dered by  gross  diet,  and  the  use  of  animal  food  at  every  meal. 
Many  private  fimilies  live  nearly  in  the  same  style  as  at  these 
houses,  and  have  as  great  variety  upon  their  tables.  Formerly, 
pies,  puddings,  and  cider  used  to  grace  the  breakfast  table :  but 
they  are  now  discarded  fi'om  the  genteeler  houses,  and  are  found 
only  at  the  small  taverns  and  farm  houses  in  the  country." 


86  Recollections  of  Albany. 

and  hotels  since  Mr.  Gregory's  day,  and  am 
forced  to  acknowledge,  that  on  the  score  of 
gentlemanly  habits,  politeness,  and  courtesy 
among  their  guests,  and  in  reference  also  to  the 
civility  of  their  keepers  and  waiters,  the  present 
bears  no  comparison  with  the  past.  The  inmates 
of  the  best  hotels  of  the  present  day,  are  as 
varied  in  their  aspects,  habits  and  character, 
as  were  the  motley  herd  that  took  lodgings  in 
the  ark ;  while  of  their  keepers  and  waiters,  the 
best  that  can  be  said,  is,  that  they  are  in  keeping 
with  the  character  of  their  company.  An  oc- 
casional exception  does  but  strengthen  the  rule. 

It  was  at  the  Tontine  that  I  became  acquainted 
with  many  of  the  leading  politicians  and  dis- 
tinguished men  of  the  state.  It  was  there  I  first 
saw  De  Witt  Clinton,  Alexander  Hamilton,  Aaron 
Burr,  Doctor  Mason,  Morgan  Lewis,  Daniel  D. 
Tompkins,  John  Armstrong,  Chancellor  Livings- 
ton, and  many  others.  It  was  while  there,  I  had 
the  opportunity  and  the  pleasure  of  examining, 
leisurely,  and  with  a  critical  eye,  that  lightest 
twig  of  the  great  Corsican  tree,  Mr.  Jerome 
Buonaparte ;  and  of  observing  the  fine  form,  the 
careless,  abandoned  air,  and  soldierly  aspect  of 
the  celebrated  Moreau,  the  rival  at  once  of 
Xenophon  and    Napoleon.     The     Tontine     was, 


Eecollections  of  Albany.  87 

indeed,  for  several  years,  my  local  observator}', 
from  wliicli  I  watched  the  transit  of  the  political 
planets,  and  noted  the  restless  movements  of  the 
wandering  stars.  It  was  in  fact,  the  best  school- 
house  I  ever  entered,  and  the  only  one,  I  am 
sorry  to  say,  in  which  I  ever  took  much  delight. 

I  cannot  resist  the  temptation  (though  I  know 
I  shall  make  nothing  of  it)  to  relate  a  ludicrous 
circumstance  which  took  place  at  the  Tontine, 
in  the  summer  of  1804.  I  am  well  aware  that 
many  a  good  joke  has  been  spoiled,  and  many  a 
laughable  incident  rendered  grave,  by  an  attempt 
to  put  them  on  paper.  '  Tis  useless,  said  Doctor 
Johnson,  to  print  Quin's  jokes,  unless  you  print 
his  face  with  them.  Nevertheless,  I  shall  venture 
to  relate  the  circumstance  to  which  I  have  referred. 
I  shall  call  it 


THE  STORY  OF  MONSIEUR  GARROT. 

Among  the  many  foreigners  at  the  Tontine  in 
the  traveling  season  of  1804,  was  a  French  gen- 
tleman by  the  name  of  Garrot,  apparently  about 
twenty-five  or  thirty  years  of  age ;  remarkable  for 
the  simplicity  of  his  manners,  for  his  taste  in  music, 
and  for  his  inability  to  speak  a  word  of  English. 
His  personal  appearance  was  greatly  in  his  favor ; 


88  Recollections  of  Albany. 

being  stout,  well  made,  and  of  a  most  aojreeable 
countenance.  Sitting  near  bim  at  table,  and  speak- 
ing a  little  French,  I  soon  became  acquainted  with 
liim.  He  was  as  I  found  a  German  by  birtli,  born 
in  Frankfort,  but  a  resident  of  Nantes.  He  remained 
several  months  in  the  city,  was  flush  of  money,  and 
liberal,  not  to  say  profuse,  in  his  expenditures. 

His  object,  if  indeed  he  had  any,  was  to  obtain 
information  as  to  the  form  and  character  of  our 
government;  the  institutions  and  condition  of  the 
country;  its  extent,  population,  trade,  commerce, 
agricultural  products,  arts,  manufactures,  &c.,  &c. 
Of  all  the  travelers  I  had  ever  met  with,  he  was 
the  most  inquisitive.  He  asked  ten  thousand  ques- 
tions about  things  of  which  I  knew  nothing,  or 
next  to  nothing  —  questions,  some  of  which  would 
have  puzzled  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  Mr.  Madison, 
Mr.  Clay,  or  Mr.  Anybody  Else,  save  John  Quincy 
Adams,  to  have  answered  off-hand.  But  as  I  per- 
ceived he  entertained  a  high  opinion  of  my  abilities, 
I  had  not  the  heart,  nor  was  it  indeed  my  business, 
to  undeceive  him.  I  was  ashamed  to  confess  igno- 
rance nponany  j^^^'^U  ^^d  therefore  gave  him  prompt 
and  specific  answers  to  each  and  every  question  let 
it  relate  to  what  it  might :  but  the  mischief  of  it 
was  they  were  all  taken  for  gospel,  and  immediately 
noted  down  in  his  tablets. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  89 

I  could  not  but  laugh  at  the  idea.  It  was,  perhaps, 
unfair  on  my  part,  but  the  fault  was  his.  To  suppose 
a  young  man  of  twenty-two  or  three,  of  sufficient 
authority  for  the  history  and  statistics  of  an  empire, 
was  absurd.  He  should  have  known  better.  Many 
a  book,  however,  has  been  written  upon  information 
of  an  inferior  quality  to  that  which  I  furnished 
Mons.  Garrot,  and  from  a  less  rational,  not  to  say 
reliable  source.  It  was  through  the  priests  and  poets 
of  Egypt  and  Assyria,  that  Herodotus  obtained  the 
materials  for  his  famous  history ;  and  who  thinks 
the  less  of  his  history  on  that  account?  The  credu- 
lity and  child-like  simplicity  of  the  author,  together 
with  the  traditional  and  poetical  character  of  its 
testimony,  constitute,  in  fact,  its  greatest  attractions. 

But  Monsieur  Garrot,  no  doubt,  congratulated 
himself  upon  his  good  fortune  in  finding  a  person 
so  full  of  information,  and  so  ready  to  impart  it. 
On  the  other  side,  I  did  the  best  I  could,  under 
the  circumstances.  I  studied  day  and  night  to 
prepare  myself  for  Monsieur  Garrot's  questions; 
and  if  monsieur  published  his  book,  I  flattered 
myself  that  it  would  be  found  in  the  truth  of  its 
statements  and  the  accuracy  of  its  details,  at  least 
equal  to  the  history  of  Herodotus,  or  the  travels 
of  Basil  Hall! 

12 


90  Recollections  of  Albany. 

But  tliis  has  notliing  to  do  with  the  circumstance 
which  it  was  my  intention  to  narrate.  It  may 
serve,  however,  as  a  preface  to  the  story,  which 
runs  thus : 

Monsieur  Garrot  and  myself,  after  a  long  walk 
one  Sundttij  afternoon,  returned  to  the  Tontine 
about  six  o'clock.  The  weather  was  extremely 
hot ;  and  as  the  private  parlors  below  were  filled 
with  strangers,  I  accompanied  Mons.  Garrot  to  his 
own  chamber,  where,  complaining  of  the  heat, 
he  threw  off  his  coat,  and,  somewhat  to  my 
surprise,  continued  the  operation  of  stripping, 
until  he  came  to  the  last  article,  over  which,  how- 
ever, he  threw  a  light  silk  morning  gown  —  light, 
indeed,  as  gossamer;  this  he  tied  loosely  at  the 
neck,  and  then  sticking  his  toes  into  a  pair  of 
yellow  slippers,  began  walking  backward  and 
forward  between  the  window  and  door,  both  of 
which  were  thrown  open  to  admit  the  air.  The 
window  looked  into  the  street;  the  door  opened 
into  a  wide  hall,  with  dormitories  on  either  side. 
"While  thus  cooling  himself  in  the  breeze,  which 
swept  his  loose  drapery  from  side  to  side,  he 
suddenly  turned  to  me  and  inquired  whether  I  was 
fond  of  music.  I  answered,  of  course,  in  the 
affirmative.  When,  without  further  ceremony, 
he  opened  a  long  case  filled  with  musical  instru- 


Recollections  of  Albany.  91 

ments  of  various  kinds,  and  asked  me  which  I 
preferred.  I  coukl  hardly  believe  it  possible  that 
he  really  meant  to  exercise  his  musical  talents 
on  that  day  of  the  week ;  but  being  a  little  curi- 
ous, and,  I  must  confess,  a  little  mischievous  at 
the  same  time,  I  pointed  to  the  violin^  which  he 
immediately  took  out,  and  began  to  twang  and 
tune.  The  discharge  of  a  twelve  pounder  in  the 
hall  would  not  have  set  the  house  in  greater 
commotion.  The  first  scrape  of  the  bow  brought 
half  a  dozen  chambermaids  to  the  door;  who 
catching  sight  of  Monsieur's  bare  legs,  ran  down 
stairs,  and  reported  that  there  was  a  Frenchman 
fiddling  in  the  chambers,  stark  naked  !  By  this  time, 
my  friend  Garrot  had  got  fairly  a-going;  and,  with 
his  head  inclined  to  one  shoulder,  and  his  ej^e  turned 
upwards,  stalked  up  and  down  the  room,  fiddling 
as  if  the  devil,  together  with  Apollo  and  the  whole 
nine,  were  in  him.  The  figure  he  cut  was  so  ridicu- 
lous, that  I  thought  1  should  have  died  in  the  eflbrt 
to  suppress  my  laughter. 

In  less  than  five  minutes-from  the  time  he  began,  it 
appeared  to  me  that  not  less  than  five  hundred  heads 
had  passed  the  door,  each  one  catching  something 
more  than  a  glimpse  of  Monsieur's  fine  form.  The 
wind  seemed  to  increase  with  the  music,  and  the 
stride  of  the  performer  became  more  lofty  and  ma- 


92  Eecollections  of  Albany. 

jestic.  At  every  turn  the  morning  gown  filled  and 
swelled  witli  the  breeze — now  waving  and  flapping 
in  the  cross  current,  and  now  extending  out,  as  it 
were,  upon  a  taught  bowline.  The  hall  was  literally 
crowded  with  spectators,  and  the  several  questions, 
Who  is  he  ?  Where  did  he  come  from  ?  Is  he 
mad  ?  were  whispered  in  rapid  succession.  But 
Mons.  Garrot  saw  nothing  but  the  ceiling  of  his 
room  —  heard  nothing  but  the  clarion  voice  of  his 
own  fiddle. 

I  was  amazed  at  his  abstraction  —  at  his  enthusi- 
asm ;  and  yet  found  it  difficult  to  prevent  myself 
from  lauo-hine:  aloud.  He  fiddled  with  such  force 
and  energy,  that  his  elbow  seemed  to  move  like  a 
whipsaw  driven  by  steam.  I  had  no  idea  that  'twas 
in  the  power  of  a  single  instrument  to  produce  such 
a  tumult  of  sounds. 

The  Battle  of  Prague,  roared  from  ten  "forty  piaz- 
zas" (as  Johnny  Robison^  used  to  call  them)  would 
be  a  mere  tinkling,  compared  with  this  uproar  of 
Mons.  Garrot' s  fiddle.  I  could  not  but  confess, 
that  in   variety,  force  and   compass,  he  surpassed 

1  Jolm  Robison  owned  the  site  now  called  the  Museum  Build- 
ing, corner  of  State  street  and  Broadway.  This  store  was  a  two 
story  brick  building  fronting  cornerwise  upon  the  two  streets, 
having  a  hipped  roof.  The  owner  is  remembered  principally  for 
his  jokes.  His  name  appears  on  the  list  of  freedoms,  as  they  were 
termed,  admitting  a  settler  to  the  privileges  of  citizenship,  purchased 
in  1781,  at  £3  12s.    He  died  22d  August,  1827,  and  was  buried  from 


Eecollections  of  Albany.  93 

even  my  old  friend  Mr.  Giles.  This  is  no  light  compli- 
ment. A  greater,  indeed,  could  not  in  sincerity 
be  paid  to  the  most  celebrated  performer. 

But  Mr.  Gregory,  at  length,  made  his  appearance, 
and  as  he  worked  his  way  through  the  crowd  at  the 
door,  I  could  perceive  that  he  was  not  only  angry 
but  a  little  frightened.  He  was  about  to  speak  to 
Mons.  Garrot,  but  monsieur  was  too  much  engaged 
to  take  the  least  notice  of  him;  he  therefore  address- 
ed himself  to  me,  and  said  —  "For  God's  sake,  Mr. 
Jones,  what  is  the  meaning  of  all  this?"  I  was  so 
full  of  laughter  that  I  could  not  speak,  and  of 
course  said  nothing.  He  then  turned  to  Mons.  Gar- 
rot,  and  raised  his  hand  as  a  sign  for  him  to  stop. 
Now,  Mr.  Gregory  had  no  more  the  appearance 
of  an  innkeeper  than  he  had  of  an  emperor.  It 
was  natural,  therefore,  that  the  Frenchman  should 
consider  him  as  an  intruder,  and  order  him  out 
of  the  room;  which  he  did.  But  it  was  in  French, 
which  he  perceived  Mr.  Gregory  did  not  under- 
stand. He  therefore  collected  all  the  English  he 
was  master  of,  and  exclaimed,  in  an  offended  tone, 

his  residence  No.  34  Dean  street.  He  owned  a  garden  situated 
upon  the  great  hill  that  formerly  stood  where  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  now  stands,  known  as  Robison's  hill,  which  the  city 
fathers  were  for  some  time  puzzled  how  to  dispose  of,  and  one  use 
proposed  was  to  enclose  it  and  erect  a  monument  to  Clinton  upon 
it.  But  it  was  pulled  down,  and  served  to  fill  a  portion  of  the 
great  pasture  below  Lydius  street. 


94  Recollections  of  Albany. 

"Vat  you  vaiit?"  Mr.  Gregory  was  about  to  re- 
ply, when  monseiur,  waviug  his  hand,  cried,  "  Go 
vay  !  go  vay  !"  and  thereupon  commenced  fiddling 
fiercer  than  ever.  This  produced  a  universal  hurst 
of  laughter ;  and  so  loud  and  long  was  the  peal, 
(in  which  I  was  compelled  to  join),  that  monsieur 
paused,  and  seemed  now,  for  the  first  time,  to  he 
sensible  that  there  was  an  unusual  collection  in  the 
hall,  and  that  something  was  wrong  somewhere. 

The  scene  at  this  moment  was  picturesque  in  the 
hio'hest  deo-ree.  There  stood  Mons.  Garrot,  in  the 
middle  of  the  room,  with  his  fiddle  in  his  hand ; 
Ms  pantaloons  hanging  upon  a  chair,  and  his  morn- 
ing gown  floating  behind  him ;  looking  first -at  Mr. 
Gregory,  then  at  me,  then  at  the  cluster  of  heads  at 
the  door,  utterly  at  a  loss  to  know  what  it  all  meant. 
There  stood  Mr.  Gregory,  too,  in  his  neat  drab- 
colored  coat  and  Sunday  inexpressibles,  the  very 
impersonation  of  order,  decency  and  decorum, 
looking  at  the  brawny,  half  naked  Frenchman, 
with  wonder  and  surprise.  There,  too,  was  the 
crowd  of  curious  faces,  male  and  female,  peering  in 
at  the  hall  door ;  exhibiting  every  variety  of  expres- 
sion, from  the  most  serious  to  the  most  comic  ;  all 
staring  in  profound  silence,  at  the  Frenchman  and 
his  fiddle.  It  was  ridiculous  enough;  and  had  it 
continued  a  moment  longer,  it  would  have  been 


Recollections  op  Albany.  95 

discreditable  too.  At  my  suggestion  Mr.  Gregory 
left  the  room.  I  then  closed  the  door,  and  endea- 
vored to  explain  to  Mous.  Garrot  the  cause  of  the 
collection  in  the  hall,  and  the  motives  of  the 
individual  who  had  interrupted  him.  But  I  found 
it  difficult  to  make  him  comprehend  it,  for  I  was 
not  a  little  puzzled  myself  to  shape  the  matter  in 
such  a  way  as  to  render  the  explanation  satisfactory, 
as  well  as  plausible.  At  length  he  seemed  to  under- 
stand it;  and  taking  out  his  tablets,  wrote  down 
what  I  suppose  he  considered  the  substance  of  my 
explanation,  and  then  handed  it  to  me  to  read.  It 
ran  thus: — "Americans  have  very  little  taste  for 
music,  and  never  listen  with  pleasure  to  the  violin 
on  Sundays,  except  in  church!''' 

'  Tis  very  well,  said  I,  monsieur;  '  tis  very  well. 

Half  an  hour  afterwards,  we  walked  deliberately 
down  stairs,  and  took  our  seats  at  the  tea  table,  as 
carelessly  and  as  composedly,  as  if  nothing  had 
happened.  But  I  observed,  what  Mons.  Garrot 
probably  did  not,  that  every  eye  in  the  room  was 
occasionally  turned  upon  him.  Though  in  one 
sense  the  author  of  the  mischief,  and  certainly  the 
most  censurable  of  the  two,  yet  I  received  the 
thanks  of  Mr.  Gregory,  for  having  put  an  end  to 
the  confusion  occasioned  by  the  musical  taste  of 
Mons.  Garrot. 


96  Recollections  of  Albany. 

In  looking  back  to  the  period  of  1801,  nothing 
impresses  itself  upon  my  mind  more  forcibly,  than 
the  degeneracy  of  the  race  of  great  men.  What  a 
difference  between  the  leading  politicians  of  that 
day  and  this :  between  Thomas  Jefferson  for  instance, 
and  John  Tyler !  If  we  continue  to  go  down  hill 
at  this  rate,  where,  I  would  ask,  shall  we  be  likely 
to  find  ourselves  at  the  end  of  the  next  half  century  ? 

But  this  is  leading  us  off  the  track :  let  us  go 
back  to  the  Tontine.  It  is  near  the  breakfast  hour, 
and  the  city  boarders,  I  perceive,  are  already  drop- 
ping in.  That  well-dressed,  handsome-faced  gentle- 
man standing  upon  the  stoop,  with  his  hat  under 
his  arm  and  a  rattan  in  his  hand,  is  Mr.  James  Kane, 
of  whom  you  have  heard  me  speak  so  frequently. 
The  tall,  spare  man,  with  whom  he  is  conversing,  is 
Mr.  Walter  Clark,^  a  merchant  of  the  city,  plain 
and  simple  in  his  character  and  manner,  but  polite 
and  gentlemanly.  The  person  that  has  just  joined 
them,  is  an  exceedingly  clever  man  in  his  way — a 

^  Walter  Clark  came  from  Newport,  E.  I.,  and  was  engaged 
in  the  grocery  business  adjoining  the  Albany  Bank  building,  in 
what  was  known  as  Little-state  street.  He  retired  from  business 
in  1828,  and  resided  some  years  later  in  Columbia  street.  He 
died  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  10th  Nov.  1841,  aged  63,  and  lies  buried 
with  his  parents  and  some  other  members  of  his  family,  in  the 
Bath  burial  ground.  Mr.  William  Mitchell  was  for  many  years 
his  clerk.    He  was  a  bachelor. 


Eecollections  of  Albany.  97 

little  self-complacent,  perhaps,  but  a  gentleman  and 
a  wit:  tlie  latter  he  inherited,  among  other  goods 
and  chattels,  from  his  father,  who  had  a  great  deal 
more,  by  the  bye,  than  he  bequeathed  to  any  one. 
He  is,  as  you  perceive,  extremely  civil  and  polite ; 
but  it  is  rather  because  he  deems  it  due  to  himself, 
than  to  others.  His  wit,  though  perfectly  good- 
natured,  is  not  scattered  at  random.  It  has  its  mark 
and  is  always  intended  to  tell.  But  notwithstand- 
ing this  piquancy,  and  self  appreciation,  he  is  a 
clever  companion,  particularly  over  a  bottle  of  good 
madeira.  His  fine  rosy  face  shows  this.  In  short, 
among  the  gentlemen  of  the  Tontine,  Mr.  CaldwelP 
holds  no  second  rank. 

That  young  man  standing  in  the  centre  of  the 
group  on  the  left,  is  a  Mr. ,  somewhat  remark- 
able for  his  flow  of  spirits  and  fluency  of  speech. 
He  has  acquired  some  reputation  in  the  city,  as  a 
business  man,  and  is  quite  a  favorite  with  Mr.  Kane. 
He  is  said  to  be  something  of  a  reader  too,  and,  by 
the  aid  of  a  retentive  memory,  sustains  himself  in 
the  midst  of  a  class  of  young  men,  much  better  edu- 

^  "William  Caldwell  was  the  son  of  James  Caldwell,  an  eminent 
Albany  merchant,  who  died  in  1829,  aged  83.  The  son  succeeded 
to  his  fiither's  business  in  1803  in  the  building  now  No.  58  State 
street,  where  he  continued  to  sell  groceries,  doing  up  sugar  and 
tea  with  his  own  hands,  and  retired  in  1821,  a  wealthy  bachelor. 
He  resided  principally  at  Caldwell,  on  Lake  George,  where  he  had 
a  large  estate,  and  died  in  Albany,  1st  April,  1848,  aged  73. 

13 


98  Recollections  of  Albany. 

cated  than  himself.  He  has  a  disposition  to  satire, 
which  he  frequently  indulges  at  the  expense  of 
others,  but  without  any  taint  of  malignity.  In  his 
open  and  somewhat  random  mode  of  talking,  he 
certainly  says  some  things,  and  tells  some  truths, 
which  it  would  be  difficult  for  any  person  to  utter 
without  giving  offence.  He  has  the  advantage,  too, 
of  being  older,  if  not  abler,  than  he  looks ;  and, 
under  the  guise  of  a  frank  and  heedless  manner, 
is  keenly  observant  of  the  conduct  and  character  of 
those  around  him.  I  have  no  doubt  that  he  has,  at 
this  moment,  in  his  portfolio,  a  full  length  portrait, 
not  only  of  many  ofhis  personal  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances, but  of  most  of  the  distinguished  men  of  the 
state.  But  he  is  no  scholar  and  cannot  give  to  his 
sketches  an  abiding  interest. 

That  plain  but  gentlemanly  looking  man,  now 
talking  with  Mr.  Kane  is  Mr.  Sedgwick,^  a  mem- 
ber of  the  bar,  and  one  of  the  most  promising  young 
men  in  the  city.  His  character  may  be  read  in  his 
countenance  :  in  which,  I  think,  you  may  also  read 
that  he  is  from  Massachusetts.  He  brings  with  him 
the  advantages  of  family  reputation,  character,  and 

1  Theodore  Sedgwick  died  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.,  of  apoplexy, 
while  attending  a  political  meeting,  7th  Nov.,  1839,  aged  60.  He 
was  the  eldest  son  of  Judge  Sedgwick,  a  distinguished  statesman 
of  Massachusetts,  was  graduated  at  Yale  college  in  1798,  and 
resided  in  Albany  until  about  1821,  when  he  removed  to  Stock- 
bridsje,  Mass. 


Eecollections  of  Albany.  99 

talents;  and  sustains  these  antecedents  by  personal 
merit,  purity  of  mind  and  cleverness  of  manner. 
He  is  the  professional  partner  of  Mr.  Harmanus 
Bleecker,'  a  gentleman  of  sterling  merit,  and  withal 
the  best  Dutch  scholar  in  the  city. 

By  the  bye — but  let  us  walk  on  —  it  has  often 
occured  to  me,  that  next  to  the  good  fortune  of 
being  born  ichite,  or,  in  other  words,  of  not  being 
born  a  squalid  Esquimaux  on  the  frozen  coast  of 
Labrador,  nor  yet  a  woolly-pated  negro,  in  the  burn- 
ing wilds  of  Senegambia  —  next,  I  repeat,  to  this 
good  fortune,  is  that  of  having  been  born  in  a  Chris- 
tian country,  and  of  a  good  family.  He  that  does 
not  appreciate  his  escape  from  the  wretched  condi- 
tion of  savage  life  or  slavish  negroism,  and  is  not 
impressed  with  the  advantages  of  Christain  nativity 
and  family  distinction,  has  no  sense  of  indebtedness 
to  providence,  or  no  feeling  of  gratitude  in  him. 
In  using  the  term  good  family,  I  have  no  reference 
to  wealth  ;  for  wealth,  as  we  all  know,  is  not  only 
within  the  reach,  but  often  in  the  possession  of  the 
meanest  of  mankind.  A  good  family,  in  the  ordi- 
nary sense  of  the  phrase,  is  a  family  of  good  cha- 
racter, distinguished  for  talent  or  patriotism,  or  at 

'  Harmanus  Bleecker  was  a  descendant  of  the  celebrated  Jan 
Jansen  Bleecker  ;  was  born  9th.  Oct.,  1779 ;  married  late  in  life, 
while  minister  at  the  Hague,  Sebastiana  Cornelia  Mentz,  of  Hol- 
land ;  he  died  19th  July,  18-19,  aged  70.  {See  Annals  of  Albany,  1, 276). 


100  Eecollections  of  Albany. 

least  free  from  tlie  touch  or  taint  of  dishonor.  By 
way  of  illustration,  permit  me  to  say,  that  had  my 
ancestors,  upon  either  side,  been  tories  of  the  revo- 
lution, I  should  never  have  ventured  to  boast  of  my 
descent  from  a  good  family :  on  the  contrary,  I 
should  have  considered  the  toryism  as  a  stain  upon 
the  family  escutcheon,  which  it  would  require  the 
patriotism  of  at  least  two  generations  to  wipe  out. 
But  this,  you  will  say,  is  a  compound  of  pride  and 
prejudice.  It  may  be  so;  but  the  pride  is  of  that 
species  which  has  some  dignity  in  it,  and  the  pre- 
judice is  of  that  family  of  the  plant  which  is  worth 
cultivating. 

Pride,  my  dear  madam,  is  a  more  powerful  pas- 
sion of  the  mind  than  ambition  itself.  The  one 
may  lead  us  to  seek  the  bubble  reputation,  even  in 
the  cannon's  mouth;  but  the  othet"  crosses  and  con- 
trols the  vicious  impulses  of  our  nature,  steps  in 
between  the  temptei'  and  the  crime,  holds  back  the 
hand  from  the  forbidden  fruit,  and  balks  the  devil 
in  his  eftbrts  to  corrupt  us.  Though  in  no  degree 
allied  to  morality  or  principle,  yet  it  often  operates 
in  conjunction  with  them,  and  not  unfrequently 
supplies  their  totafabsence.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  we  are  not  all  armed  alike  ;  and  in  this  warfare 
with  evil,  it  becomes  us  to  make  use  of  such  arms 
as  we  possess. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  101 

But  this  is  a  digression  —  let  us  go  back  to  our 
reminicencses. 


THE  MARQUIS  DU  BARRAILLE. 

Among  other  waifs  upon  the  common  of  life, 
with  which  I  came  in  contact  in  those  clays,  was  an 
old  and  veritable  French  marquis,  by  the  name  of 
Du  Barraille.  He  was  one  of  those  unfortunate 
loyalists  who  were  driven  into  exile  by  the  French 
revolution.  He  held  the  commission  and  rank  of 
colonel  in  the  king' s  guards,  and  had  fled  his 
country  Twith  nothing  but  loyalty  in  his  head  and 
nothing  but  the  order  of  St.  Louis  in  his  pocket. 
He  had  wandered  through  the  "West  India  islands? 
thence  through  the  Canadas,  and  finally  found  his 
way  through  Lake  Champlain  and  the  head  waters 
of  the  Hudson,  down  to  Albany.  By  this  time,  his 
resources  were  completely  exhausted,  every  trinket 
had  been  put  in  requisition  —  his  gold  snuff  box, 
his  diamond  ring,  even  his  sword,  as  he  said,  had 
been  pledged  to  the  brokers  or  pawned  to  the  Jews. 
The  cross  of  St.  Louis  he  had  received  from  the 
hand  of  his  royal  master,  and  therefore  could  not 
part  with  it  without  dishonor.  While  in  the  West 
Indies,  he  had,  probably  with  a  view  to  mend  his 
fortunes,  married  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  planter ; 
but  owing  to  some  eruption  or  revolution,  the  for- 


102  Recollections  of  Albany. 

tune  was  lost,  and  notliing  remained  on  his  arrival 
at  Albany,  save  the  aforesaid  cross  of  St.  Louis, 
madame,  and  two  children  !  The  marquis  was  an 
educated,  well  bred,  and  gentlemanly  man  ;  familiar 
with  English  literature,  and  spoke  the  language 
sutficiently  well.  Madame  could  boast  of  none  of 
these  advantages.  She  was  bred  upon  a  plantation, 
and  spoke  no  language  but  the  creole.  Yet  she 
was  a  respectable  and  kind-hearted  woman. 

On  ascertaining  the  character  and  circumstances 
of  the  marquis,  the  young  gentlemen  of  the  city 
came  to  his  rescue.  'Twas  evident  that  his  only 
recourse  was  to  open  a  school  and  teach  the  French 
language :  this  they  advised  ;  and  to  enable  him  to 
carry  it  into  execution  hired  a  house,  furnished  it 
themselves,  put  him  into  it,  and  some  eight  or  ten 
of  them  entered  their  names  as  pupils  of  the  mar- 
quis and  boarders  at  the  Hotel  Du  Barraille.  But 
with  the  exception  of  one  or  two,  the  study  of  the 
French  language  formed  no  part  of  their  amuse- 
ments. The  principal  object  of  the  move,  was  to 
keep  the  marquis  from  starving,  and  in  doing  which 
they  came  pretty  near  starving  themselves ;  for  the 
marquis  had  never  been  in  the  commissary  depart- 
ment, and  was  rather  an  awkward  sort  of  landlord. 
They  stood  it,  however,  about  six  months,  and  then 
broke  up,  paid  the  rent  and  tuition  for  the  year, 


Recollections  op  Albany.  103 

aud  returned  to  the  Tontine,  from  whence  they 
came,  with  as  little  parlevous  in  them  as  they  had 
when  they  left  it.  Those  six  months,,  however, 
were  hy  no  means  thrown  away.  They  were,  in 
fact,  the  most  memorable  in  the  annals  of  their 
lives :  never  before,  were  there  so  many  events  and 
circumstances,  so  much  fun  and  frolic,  so  much 
poetry,  music  and  eloquence,  crowded  into  such  a 
narrow  space  of  time.  Every  language  was  studied 
in  the  school  but  the  French,  and  every  art  was 
practised  in  the  kitchen  but  the  art  of  cooking. 
If  that  which  was  contemplated  was  never  done, 
much  certainly  was  done  that  was  never  contemplat- 
ed. But  with  all  their  whims  and  irregularities, 
the  old  marquis  was  proud  of  his  pupils,  and  fond 
of  their  company;  though  he  preferred  claret,  he  had 
no  particular  antipathy  to  a  glass  of  madeira.  We 
had,  of  course,  the  history  of  the  revolution  over 
and  over,  with  anecdotes  of  distinguished  charac- 
ters, civil  and  military.  But  what  amused  us  most, 
was  the  gravity  with  which  the  old  loyalist  would 
talk  of  the  restoration  of  the  Bourbons.  He  spoke 
of  it  as  though  it  was  a  matter  of  course,  waiting 
only  the  destined  hour.  And  all  this  too,  at  the 
very  time  when  Napoleon  was  master  of  more 
than  half  of  Europe  ;  when  thrones,  and  crowns,  and 
principalities,  and  powers,  were  made  and  unmade 
by  a  dash  of  his  pen,  or  the  word  of  his  mouth. 


104  Recollections  of  Albany. 

We  laughed  in  our  sleeves  at  wliat  we  considered 
tlie  old  man's  folly  :  and  the  "  restoration  of  the 
Bourbons,"  became  a  jest  and  a  bye  word.  And 
yet,  "tell  it  not  in  Gath,"  the  Bourbons  were  re- 
stored, and  the  old  marquis,  as  he  always  believed 
he  should,  returned  to  France  ?  But,  before  that 
joyous  hour  had  arrived,  his  resources  were  exhaust- 
ed and  his  fortunes  had  fallen  to  their  lowest  ebb. 
The  greater  part  of  his  scholars  had  never  entered 
his  school  room,  and  had  now  ceased  to  pay.  The 
Hotel  Du  Barraille  was  of  course  abandoned,  and 
he  rented  a  small  house  in  a  cheap  and  dirty  street 
in  the  purlieus  of  Fox  creek.^ 

Thither  I  followed  him.  For,  amid  the  fun  and 
frolic  of  the  first  six  months,  I  had  barely  learned 
to  read  and  translate  the  language.  I  now  pro- 
posed to  learn,  if  possible,  to  speak  it :  since  I  was 
now  the  only  pupil,  and  the  only  boarder.  The 
house  was  a  wretched  tenement;  and  the  fare,  I 
knew,  would  be  still  worse.  My  bill  of  board  and 
tuition  was  his  only  means  of  support.  But  mad- 
ame  was  an  able  economist;  and  one  piece  of  meat, 

^  Vossen  Ml  in  Dutch ;  Foxes  creek  in  English.  Always  written 
and  spoken  in  the  i)lural  it  came  to  be  frequently  called  Faven 
creek.  The  vernacular  having  gone  to  ruin,  the  old  names  were 
horribly  Englished ;  and  the  creek  is  lost  likewise,  being  completely 
built  over,  and  scarcely  known  to  this  generation,  although  once 
a  notable  stream,  abounding  with  salmon  even.  Fox  street,  whose 
name  pointed  out  its  locality,  has  been  changed  to  Canal  street, 
and  all  the  poetry,  ever  inspired  by  its  surroundings,  is  in  oblivion 
buried. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  105 

generally,  carried  us  tlirougli  tlie  week.  The  fare 
was  arranged  as  follows :  On  Monday,  we  had  the  rib 
or  joint,  roasted;  Tuesdaij,  the  remains  of  Monday 
were  served  up  nearly  as  good  as  new ;  Wednesday, 
the  fragments  were  converted  into  a  most  palatable 
hash  ;  Thursday,  the  hash  was  warmed  over  ;  Fri- 
day, the  bones  furnished  a  rich  soup ;  Saturday,  the 
soup  was  warmed  over ;  and  on  Sunday,  —  I  dined 
out  —  and  the  family  had,  what  madame  called,  a 
picked  up  dinner,  as  she  was  religiously  opposed  to 
cooking  much  on  that  day. 

The  breakfast,  in  the  natural  order  of  things, 
should  have  been  mentioned  first.  It  consisted  of 
coffee  made  of  parched  peas  or  oats,  stale  baker's 
bread,  and  one  small  Scotch  herring  for  each 
person.  The  herring  was  the  life  and  soul  of  the 
meal.  How  often  did  I  wish  it  had  pleased  the 
marchioness  or  the  gods,  to  have  allowed  us  two 
instead  of  one.  But  each  made  the  most  of  the  one 
he  had.  I  used  to  begin  at  one  end  of  mine  (it 
was  immaterial  which),  and  grind  it  to  powder, 
swallowing  every  particle,  head  and  tail,  bones,  fins, 
gills,  and  gizzard  !  Not  one  atom  was  left  to  tell 
the  story  that  a  herring  had  ever  touched  my  plate. 
'No  indigestion  followed :  no  one  while  boarding 
with  the  marquis,  was  ever  troubled  with  dyspepsy  ! 

The   tea  was  a  dish  of  hot  water  colored  with 
14 


106  Recollections  of  Albany. 

brown  sugar,  and  a  crust  of  dry  bread  without 
butter.  Yet  I  never  heard  a  complaint.  On  the 
contrary,  I  often  complimented  madame,  myself, 
upon  the  richness  of  her  coffee,  and  the  line  flavor 
of  her  tea !  Kever,  I  believe,  since  the  expulsion 
of  Adam  from  the  Garden  of  Eden  —  never,  I  am 
certain,  since  the  children  of  Israel  fed  upon  manna 
in  the  wilderness,  did  a  family  live  at  so  little  ex- 
pense, and  at  the  same  time  make  so  respectable 
a  show. 

The  old  marquis  himself,  though  his  whole  ward- 
robe would  not  have  sold  for  five  shillings,  appeared 
to  be  dressed  in  the  style  of  a  French  nobleman, 
so  well  did  any  thing  and  every  thing  become  him. 
Kate,  a  very  pretty  American  girl  not  over  sixteen 
years  of  age,  was  his  cook  and  laundress,  his 
steward,  butler,  barber,  chambermaid  and  footman  ! 
A  single  room,  of  about  twelve  by  sixteen,  served 
the  whole  family,  myself  excepted,  for  a  kitchen, 
sitting-room,  wash-room  and  bed-room.  Yes,  in 
that  room  of  all  rooms,  in  which  the  washing,  cook- 
ing and  dressing  was  done,  slept  the  marquis,  mad- 
ame, two  children,  Kate  and  Offisar  !  Csesar,  by  the 
bye,  was  the  marquis's  dog  ;  and  a  more  loyal  brute 
never  lived.  Like  the  marquis,  he  had  the  i^oliiesse, 
the  air  and  dignity  of  the  ancient  r^egime.  The 
marchioness  never  dined  with  the  family,  except 


Recollections  of  Albany.  107 

on  Sunday,  wlien  there  was  no  compan}^,  and 
nothing  to  eat :  but  at  breakfast  and  at  tea,  she 
made  her  appearance  in  a  style  that  would  have 
astonished  the  mother  of  mankind.  The  marquis, 
too,  always  came  forth,  fresh  as  a  bridegroom  ;  his 
boots  neatly  polished,  his  hair  powdered,  his  coat 
brushed  and  buttoned,  and  his  hat  under  his  arm, 
both  (marquis  and  hat)  looking  as  good  as  new. 
Knowing,  as  I  could  not  but  know,  the  character 
and  condition  of  the  apartment  from  which  they 
issued,  it  was  difficult  to  conceive  by  what  means 
such  neatness  and  elegance  of  appearance  could  be 
so  suddenly  produced.  On  questioning  Kate  about 
the  matter,  she  confessed  that  'twas  the  work  of  her 
own  hands :  that  she  polished  the  boots  with  the 
end  of  a  candle;  and  that  the  powder  with  which 
she  dusted  the  marquis's  head,  was  nothing  but 
Indian  meal ;  that  she  brushed  the  coat,  rubbed  the 
buttons,  and  fixed  the  cravat;  and  then  adjusted 
the  ruffles  of  madame.     But  enough  of  this. 

I  continued  to  reside  in  the  family  for  more  than 
six  months,  in  despite  of  the  unpleasant  location, 
the  wretched  apartments  and  meagre  fare.  The 
thin  oat  coffee  and  spare  diet,  however,  were  favor- 
able to  the  studies  I  pursued ;  and  I  therefore  particu- 
larly recommend  them  to  those  who  wish  to  acquire 
a  just  knowledge  of  human  nature,  or  a  correct 
pronunciation  of  the  French  language. 


108  Eecollections  of  Albany. 


THE  LAST  KIGIIT. 

I  now  present  tlie  reader  with  the  history  of  the 
last  night  I  passed  under  the  roof  of  the  old  mar- 
quis, in  this  his  last  place  of  residence  in  the  city 
of  Albany. 

It  was  late  in  the  evening  before  I  left  the  mar- 
quis's little  room  below,  and  retired  to  my  own.  I 
had  been  listening,  as  usual,  to  the  tales  of  the  revo- 
lution, and  the  sufferings  of  the  emigrants,  and  felt 
no  disposition  to  sleep.  The  day  had  been  extremely 
hot,  and  the  air  was  close  and  sultry.  On  opening 
my  window,  I  perceived  that  a  thunderstorm  was 
gathering  in  the  west,  and  concluded  to  sit  up  till 
'twas  over.  In  the  meantime  I  amused  myself  by 
translating  passages  from  the  Henriad,  and  trying 
my  hand  at  turning  them  into  English  verse.  While 
thus  engaged,  I  was  startled  by  an  unusual  noise  and 
agitation  below.  I  could  distinctly  hear  the  voice 
of  the  marquis,  and  the  hasty  tread  of  feet  passing 
from  one  room  to  another.  I  was  aware  that  the 
youngest  child,  a  boy  about  four  years  of  age,  had 
been  unwell  for  some  time;  but  as  no  idea  had 
been  entertained  that  he  was  in  any  immediate 
danger,  I  concluded  that  some  accident  had  hap- 
pened, or  that  some  disturbance  had  taken  place  in 


Eecollections  of  Albany.  109 

the  street.  But  iu less  than  a  minute  came  a  shriek 
from  the  marchioness,  accompanied  by  the  terrify- 
ing exclamation  of  "Mon  Dieu  !  Mon  Dieu!"  I 
seized  the  light,  and  placing  it  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs,  hurried  down.  The  doors  were  all  open  ; 
and  on  entering  the  room,  I  was  shocked  at  the 
spectacle  it  presented.  There  was  madame  with 
her  clothes  half  torn  off  her  back  —  still  raving  and 
tearing  the  hair  from  her  head.  The  old  marquis 
was  walking  about  the  room,  half  distracted,  wring- 
ing his  hands,  and  ejaculating  "  Mon  pauvre  Louis ! 
Mon  pauvre  Louis  !"  Poor  Kate  sat  by  the  cradle, 
crying  and  sobbiug  as  if  her  heart  would  break.  I 
said  a  few  words  to  the  marquis,  and  endeavored  to 
express  my  sympathy  to  madame  ;  but  words  were 
vain,  and  sympathy,  though  recognized,  was  unavail- 
ing. I  walked  fearfully  to  the  cradle.  It  was  too  true : 
all  was  over;  the  child  had  breathed  its  last.  Its 
look  was  awful.  It  lay  almost  entirely  naked,  with 
its  eyes  unclosed.  After  gazing  upon  it  for  a  few 
moments,  I  turned  to  leave  the  room,  for  the  scene 
was  too  painful  to  bear.  At  that  moment  there 
came  a  flash  of  lightning,  followed  by  a  clap  of 
thunder,  which  shook  the  house  to  its  very  founda- 
tion. Kate  turned  pale.  The  words  "Mon  Dieu  !" 
were  repeated  in  a  fearful  tone  by  more  than  one 
voice.     Even  old  Csesar  crawled  out  from  under 


110  Eecollections  of  Albany. 

the  table,  and  seating  himself  upon  his  hind  legs 
pointed  his  nose  up  into  the  air,  and  gave  one  of  the 
most  prolonged  and  mournful  howls  that  I  had  ever 
heard.  It  was  with  the  greatest  ditficulty  that 
I  could  keep  my  nerves  steady.  I  would  have 
given  a  kingdom,  if  I  had  one,  to  have  been  ten 
miles  off.  I,  however,  left  the  room  slowl}',  and  had 
but  just  regained  my  chamber,  when  a  large  cat, 
with  eyes  as  big  as  saucers,  poked  her  head  into  the 
room,  and  looking  me  wildly  in  the  face,  gave  one 
of  the  most  infernal  yowls  that  was  ever  heard  by 
mortal  ears !  Where  the  devil  she  came  from, 
nobody  knew.  This  brought  old  Caesar  out  again, 
and  another  howl  was  set  up :  another  flash  of 
lightning,  and  another  peal  of  thunder  followed, 
Father  Abraham  !  said  I.  But  my  imagination  was 
getting  wild.  I  began  to  look  upon  it  as  the  last 
night,  or  as  the  foreshadowing  type  of  the  last  day  ! 
Gradually,  however,  the  Heavens  became  more  quiet, 
and  the  sounds  of  woe  less  and  less  audible.  At 
length  the  morning  broke :  the  sun  came  forth  in 
the  east ;  and  the  world  was  again  radiant  with  light, 
and  life,  and  beauty. 

I  gave  Kate  some  necessary  instructions,  and 
leaving  the  house  buried  in  profound  repose,  walked 
deliberately  down  to  the  Tontine :  not  exactly, 
however,    in   that  mood  of  mind  in  which  Adam 


Recollections  of  Albany.  Ill 

left  the  gates  of  paradise ;  nor  with  the  lingering 
step  and  backward  look  with  which  Lot's  wife  left 
the  rich  city  that  adorned  the  fruitful  plain  of  the 
Pentapoli's,  hut  with  the  returning  buoyancy  of  one 
whose  spirits  had  been  depressed  by  a  gloomy  tem- 
pest and  a  night  of  horrors. 

A  few  years  afterwards  I  received  a  letter  from 
the  old  marquis,  dated  iu  Pakis.  But  his  long  cher- 
ished dream  of  restoration  to  rank,  friends  and 
fortune,  was  never  realized.  The  revolution  had 
engulphed  all  but  the  memory  of  the  past,  and  he 
literally  found  himself  a  stranger  in  the  land  of  his 
birth. 


Some  people  seem  to  imagine  that  all  mankind 
are  alike.  They  see  no  difference, —  and  by  way  of 
proof  that  there  is  none,  they  will  tell  you  that  every 
individual  of  the  species  (unless  he  has  lived  in 
Mississippi)  has  two  eyes  :  and  unless  he  has  been 
in  the  wars,  or  on  a  rail  road,  has  two  arms  and  two 
legs.  Beyond  these  fixtures  and  appendages  they 
neverlook,  never  inquire.  They  note  no  discrepan- 
cies, no  peculiarities,  no  quips  of  the  imagination, 
no  crotchets  of  the  mind  ;  and  they  actually  go 
through  life  without  ever  seeing  any  thing  remarka- 
ble. 

Others  again,  though  fewer  in  number,  are  for- 


112  Kecollections  op  Albany. 

ever  on  the  lookout  for  novelties  and  diversities, — 
for  tlie  odd,  the  eccentric,  the  ludicrous  ;  and  are 
singularly  successful  in  discovering  singular  forms 
and  combinations — peculiar  habits,  looks,  actions 
and  traits  of  character.  "With  them,  no  two  things 
under  heaven  are  alike — no  two  men  bear  any 
resemblance  to  each  other,  or  to  any  body  else. 

To  which  of  these  two  classes  the  writer  of  these 
reminiscences  belongs,  I  leave  to  the  reader  to  de- 
cide. 

OLD  MR.  BANYAR. 

Among  other  curious  subjects  that  attracted  my 
attention  during  the  early  part  of  my  residence  in 
Albany,  was  a  blind  old  man  led  about  the  streets 
by  his  colored  servant.  It  was  Goldsborough  Ban- 
yar,  a  most  intelligent,  w^ealthy  and  respectable  old 
gentleman.  He  was  the  most  perfect  ty^Q  of  the 
Anglo-American  then  living.  He  was  the  last  of  a 
race,  or  class  of  men,  now  totally  extinct  —  a  race, 
born  in  England,  grown  rich  in  America,  proud  of 
their  birth,  and  prouder  of  their  fortune. 

He  had  been  a  secretary  of  state  under  the  colo- 
nial government,  and  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
of  the  revolution,  very  naturally,  and  the  prospect 
considered,  very  wisely,  took  sides  (but  not  arms) 
with  the  mother  country.  He  was  a  royalist  in  feel- 
ing, and  doubtless  in  principle  —  the  feeling,  it  is 


Eecollections  of  Albany.  113 

believed,  underwent  no  change;  tlie  iirinciple,  in  the 
course  of  time,  became  temperately,  and  I  may  add, 
jiidicionsly,  modified  by  his  interests.  He  had,  while 
in  his  office  of  secretary,  obtained  from  the  crown 
many  large  and  valuable  tracts  of  laud.  These 
lauds  were  the  sources- of  his  wealth.  With  the 
eye  of  intelligence,  sharpened  by  the  peculiarity  of 
his  position,  he  watched  the  course  of  events,  and 
like  a  skilful  pilot,  steered  between  the  extremes. 
He  wisely  kept  a  friend  in  either  port,  and  had 
always  an  anchor  out  to  windward.  In  short,  he 
preserved  his  character  from  reproach,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  water,  and  hislandsfrom  confiscation  on  this. 
His  mind  kept  pace  with  the  intelligence  of  the  age. 
He  became  an  American  when  America  became  tri- 
umphant,—  thought  better  of  republicanism  as  it 
approximated  to  power ;  and  finally,  without  abat- 
ing one  jot  of  his  love  for  the  laud  of  his  birth, 
came  quietly  into  our  political  arena  under  the 
banner  of  Mr.  Jefierson  !  In  all  this  he  acted,  as 
we  think,  wisely  and  prudently.  He  was  no  Ameri- 
can at  the  commencement  of  the  war,  but  an  English- 
man, born  and  bred,  with  the  badges  of  office  and 
of  confidence  still  in  his  possession.  Yet  he  took 
no  part — gave  no  aid,  and  but  little  comfort  to  the 
enemy,  for  when  secretly  applied  to  for  advice,  he 
sent  by  the  messenger  a  basket  of  fruit  —  and  when 
15 


114  Recollections  of  Albany. 

for  information,  the  return  was  a  basket  of  eggs ! 
He  was  therefore,  no  tory,  but  merely  a  judicious 
politician :  in  which  character,  if  he  acquired  no 
fame,  he  at  least  preserved  his  reputation  and  his 
proijcrfij,  and  merited  the  thanks  of  those  remem- 
bered in  his  will. 

He  must  have  been  somewhere  about  three  score 
and  ten  years  of  age  when  I  first  saw  him  in  the 
streets  of  Albany.  He  was  a  .short,  stout  built  man, 
English  alike  in  form,  in  character,  and  in  aspect : 
and  at  the  period  to  which  I  refer,  infirm,  gouty,  and 
and  nearly  blind;  but  still  sound  in  mind  and  ven- 
erable in  appearance.  The  colored  servant  by 
whom  he  was  led,  was  no  unimportant  personage. 
He  was  his  man  Friday  —  his  man  Peter — his  all 
in  all  —  for  without  his  aid  locomotion  was  impossi- 
ble. \¥hat  was  not  a  little  remarkable,  was  the 
fact,  that  Peter  resembled  his  master  in  almost  every 
particular,  save  his  gout  and  his  blindness.  He  was 
of  the  same  height  and  make,  as  well  dressed,  nearly 
as  old,  and  quite  as  grey.  He  was,  moreover,  as 
independent,  as  important  and  as  irritable.  At  a 
little  distance,  it  was  indeed  difficult  to  tell  which 
was  master  and  which  was  man. 

ISTothing  could  be  more  amusing  than  their  con- 
versation and  disputes  when  moving  together,  arm 
in  arm,  down  Pearl  street  and  across  State,  to  Lewis's 


Recollections  of  Albany.  115 

tavern/  —  a  liaiint,  to  which  thej  resorted  daily, 
whenever  the  weather  would  permit.  It  was  indeed 
the  haunt  of  a  good  many  other  distinguished  indi- 
viduals of  those  days.  All  the  quid  nuncs,  news 
mongers,  segar  smokers,  and  back-gammon  players, 
together  with  a  long  list  of  worthies,  who  were  con- 
stitutionally thirsty  between  twelve  and  one  o'clock, 
made  Lewis's  their  head  quarters.  Could  the  old 
gentleman  have  seen  all  the  company  there  assem- 
bled, listened  to  their  language,  and  witnessed  their 
libations  at  the  bar,  he  would  probably  have  relished 
their  society  something  less  than  he  did. 

But,  be  that  as  it  may  —  in  his  frequent  peregri- 
nations to  and  from  that  celebrated  tavern,  it  was 
my  special  pleasure  (boy  like)  to  throw  myself  a  few 
paces  in  his  rear,  and  listen  to  the  dialogue  that 
was  sure  to  take  place  between  him  and  his  man 
Peter.  It  was  generally  in  a  pretty  sharp  tone  of 
voice,  and  almost  always  upon  a  disputacious  key. 
In  crossing  State  street  one  day,  on  their  return 
from  Lewis's,  it  commenced  thus: — Peter,  said  the 
old  man,  yon're  leading  me  into  the  mud.  There's 
no  mud  here,  says  Peter.  But  I  say  there  is,  re- 
torted the  old  man  fiercely.     I  say  there  aint,  said 

^  Lewis's  tavern  was  at  this  time  citlier  the  corner  of  Wasliing- 
ton,  now  South-pearl  and  State  street,  on  the  present  site  of  78 
State  street.  Robert  Lewis  died  June  17th,  1798,  aged  73,  and  was 
succeeded  by  his  son  Stewart  Lewis. 


116  Recollections  of  Albany. 

Peter.     D  —  n  it,  sir,  said  the  old  man,  giving  his 
arm  a  twitch  and  coming  to  a  full  halt,  don't  you 
suppose  I  know  the  nature  of  the  ground  on  which  I 
stand  ?     No,  says  Peter,  don't  spose  you  know  any 
such  thing;  you  ony  stept  one  foot  off  the  stones, 
that's  all.     Well,  well,  come  along  then  ;  what  do 
you   keep  me  standing  here  in  the  street  for?     I 
don't   keep   you,    said  Peter;  you   keep   yourself. 
Well,  well,  come  along,    said  the  old  man,  and  let 
me  know  when  I  come  to  the  gutter.    You  are  in  the 
gutter  now,  said  Peter.     The  devil  I  am !  said  the 
old  man ;  then  pausing  a  moment,  he  added,  in  a 
sort  of  moralizing  tone,  there's  a  worse  gutter  than 
this  to  cross,  I  can  tell  you,  Peter.    If  there  he,  said 
Peter,  I  should  like  to  know  where  'tis ;  I  have  seen 
continued  Peter,  every  gutter  in  town,  from  the  ferry 
stairs  to  the  Patroon's,  and  there  aint  a  worse  one 
among  'em   all.     But  the  gutter  I  mean,    said  the 
old  gentleman  in  a  lower  tone,    is  one   which   you 
cross  in  a  boat,  Peter.     'Tis  strange,  said  Peter,  that 
I  should  never  have  found  it  out ; —  now,  lift  your 
foot  higher,  or  you'll  hit  the  curb  stone, —  cross  a 
gutter  in  a  boat!  ejaculated  Peter,   'tis  nonsense. 
'Tis  so  written   down,   said  the  old  man.      Written 
down,  said  Peter ;  the  newspapers  may  write  what 
they  please,  but  I  don't  believe  a  word  on't.     I'm 
thinking   said  the   old   man,  they  put  too  much 


Recollections  of  Albany.  117 

brandy  in  tlieir  toddy  there  at  Lewis's.  I  tlionglit 
so  too,  said  Peter,  wlien  you  were  getting  otF  the 
steps  at  the  door;  and  since  you've  mentioned  that 
boat,  I'm  sure  of  it.  What  is  that  you  ^y  ?  said  the 
old  man,  coming  to  a  halt  again,  and  squaring  him- 
self round ;  you  thought  so,  did  you  ?  what  right 
had  you  to  think  any  thing  about  it  ?  I  tell  you, 
Peter,  you'are  a  fool ! 

The  attitude  and  appearance  of  the  parties  at 
this  moment  was  so  whimsical  —  in  fact,  so  ridicu- 
lous, that  I  could  not  restrain  myself  from  laughing 
aloud.  Who  is  that?  said  the  old  man,  taking 
quietly  hold  of  Peter's  arm  again.  Don't  know 
him,  said  Peter ;  spose  he's  one  of  the  new  comers. 
'New  comers  !  said  the  old  man,  repeating  the  phrase. 
Is  he  old  or  young,  Peter  ?  Young,  said  Peter. 
Then  I  forgive  him,  said  the  old  man ;  and  after  a 
short  pause,  added,  in  a  lower  tone  of  voice,  May 
he  never  know  the  misfortune  of  hlindess  or  the  gout. 
Kever  in  the  course  of  my  life  did  I  feel  so  ashamed 
of  myself  as  at  that  moment.  A  blow  from  a 
cane  could  not  have  hurt  me  half  as  much.  My 
first  thought  was  to  walk  directly  up  to  him,  take 
him  by  the  hand  and  make  him  an  ample  apology. 
But  to  entertain  a  just  sense  of  what  we  ought  to 
do,  is  one  thing — to  do  it,  quite  another.  In  the 
present  case,  I  was  apprehensive  that  my  apology 


118  Recollections  of  Albany. 

might  not  be  accepted ;  besides,  it  was  not  at  his 
infirmities  I  laughed,  but  at  the  singular  oddity  of 
the  scene.  I  imagined,  moreover,  that  Jeremiah 
himself,  had  he  been  present,  would  have  laughed 
at  the  ridiculous  dialogue  and  still  more  ridicu- 
lous attitudes  of  the  parties. 

It  is  impossible,  I  think,  to  reflect  one  moment 
upon  the  position  which  Mr.  Banyar^  occupied  dur- 
ing the  war  of  the  revolution,  and  the  manner  in 
which  he  sustained  himself  in  it,  without  conced- 
ing to  him  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  world, 
great  sagacit}'  and  great  address.  It  is  said  by  those 
who  knew  him  personally,  that  his  manners  were 
those  of  a  gentleman,  and  that  he  possessed  no 
ordinary  share  of  talent  and  of  wit. 

Among  other  curious  things  that  attracted  my 
attention  in  the  ancient  city  of  Albany,  just  prior 

1  GoLDSBOEOUGH  BAiorAR  died  4tli  Nov.,  1815,  aged  91.  He  was 
born  in  England,  but  came  to  this  country  in  early  life,  where  he 
ever  after  resided.  For  many  years  prior  to  the  revolution,  he 
was  deputy-secretary  of  the  province,  and  as  the  secretary  was 
absent,  the  important  and  laborious  duties  of  that  office  were  per- 
formed by  Mr.  Banyar  in  a  manner  highly  honorable  to  his  talents 
and  integrity,  and  very  advantageous  to  the  province.  Through 
his  very  long  hfe  he  was  considered  a  man  of  strict  and  unimpeach- 
able integrity,  punctual  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his  public 
duties,  and  virtuous  and  amiable  in  the  private  relations  of  Ufe  — 
respected  by  his  numerous  acquaintance,  and  affectionately  esteem- 
ed and  beloved  by  his  family  and  friends.  His  funeral  took  place 
at  St.  Peter's  church,  when  a  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev. 
Timothy  Clowes. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  119 

to  the  extinction  of  the  Dutch  dynasty,  was  the 
disproportionate  number  of  old  people.  Pearl  street 
in  particular,  was  lined  with  these  remnants  of  the 
olden  days.  The  population  of  the  city  was  evi- 
dently undergoing  a  thorough  revolution.  One 
whole  generation  — nay,  one  icliole  race,  —  was  then 
on  the  very  eve  of  passing  away,  while  another, 
of  an  entirely  different  character  and  aspect  was 
coming  in.  But^the  most  attractive  pictures  to  my 
eye,  were  the  aged  members  of  the  retiring  race. 
Could  Solomon  have  paid  a  visit  to  Alban}^  in 
1803  or  4,  he  would  have  acknowledged  (notwith- 
standing his  former  assertion  to  the  contrary),  that 
there  were  many  things  "  new  under  the  sun."  He 
would,  I  think,  have  found  something  to  admire 
as  new  and  original,  even  in  the  antique  though  un- 
classic  model  of 

OLD   MR.   LYDIUS.^ 

This  old  gentleman,  if  tradition  ma}-  be  relied  on, 
was  something  of  a  lion  in  his  day.  He  was  unusu- 
ally tall,  raw-boned,  and  of  a  most  forbidding  aspect 

'  Balthaz.vr  Lydius,  familiarly  known  as  Bait  Lydius,  was  a  very 
eccentric  man.  He  died  17tli  Nov.,  1815,  aged  78,  and  was  the  last 
male  descendant  of  his  family.  His  tombstone  is  seen  in  the  Episco- 
pal burying-ground.  His  house  is  said  to  have  been  imported 
from  Holland,  bricks,  wood-work,  tiles,  and  ornamented  irons, 
with  which  it  was  pi'ofusely  adorned,  expressly  for  the  use 
of  the  Rev.  Gideon  Schaets,  who  came  over  in  1653.     It  is  said 


120  Recollections  of  Albany. 

—  singular  in  his  habits,  and  eccentric  in  his  char- 
acter — but  independent,  honest,  and  grufi"as  a  bear. 
He  occupied,  at  the  commencement  fo  the  present 
centurj",  the  old,  and  somewhat  mysterious  looking 
mansion,  then  standing  at  the  south-east  corner  of 
I^orth-pearland  State  street :  and  was,  of  course,  next 
door  neighbor,  in  an  easterly  line,  to  the  old  elm  tree. 
The  house  exhibited  in  its  style  and  order  the  taste  if 
not  the  pride  of  its  proprietor.  Its  position  admitted 
of  two  front  gables,  and  two  front  gables  it  had ;  thus 
rivaling,  if  not  excelling  in  architectural  dignity, 
the  celebrated  mansion  of  the  Van  der  Heyden 
family.^  One  front  rested  on  Pearl,  the  other  on 
State.  Each  had  its  full  complement  of  outside 
decorative  adjuncts  — namely,  long  spouts  from  the 
eaves,  little  benches  at  the  door,  iron  figures  on  the 
wall,  and  a  rooster  on  the  gable  head.  How  the 
inside  was  contrived,  nobody  knew.  The  only  inha- 
bitants, or  at  least  the  only  ones  that  my  curiosity 

tliat  the  materials  arrived  simultaneously  with  the  pulpit  and  the 
old  church  bell,  in  1657.  It  was  supposed  to  have  been  the  oldest 
brick  building  in  North  America  at  the  time  it  was  demolished  in 
1833,  to  make  room  for  the  present  Apothecary's  Hall.  But  there 
is  also  another  version  which  attributes  the  building  of  the  house 
rfo  the  Rev.  John  Lydius,  the  ancestor  of  Balthazar,  who  came  over 
in  1703 ;  and  that  only  the  timbers  which  came  from  Holland  and 
were  too  short  for  the  church,  Avere  used  in  the  construction  of 
this  house. 

1 A  genealogy  of  this  family  may  be  found  in  the  second  edition 
of  Woodwoith's  Reminiscences  of  Troy^  pp.  71-74. 


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Recollections  op  Albany.  121 

could  ever  discover,  were  tlie  dark  and  indomitable 
proprietor,  and  an  old,  unmutilated,  pale-faced, 
melancholy  looking  cat.  Nor  were  these  visible  to 
any  human  eye  except  at  particular  hours,  or  under 
peculiar  circumstances. 

At  the  dusky  hour  of  eve,  or  in  the  misty  grey  ot 
the  morning,  the  head,  or  what  was  taken  to  be  the 
head,  of  the  old  man,  was  sometimes  seen  peering 
out  of  the  narrow  window  in  the  southern  front ; 
while  the  low,  complaining  voice  of  the  other  inha- 
bitant (when  darkness  covered  the  land)  might  be 
distinctly  heard  from  the  turret  of  the  western 
wing.  ISTo  door  was  ever  seen  to  be  open^  —  no 
twinkling  light  gave  sign  of  life  within.  Even  in 
,  the  da}'  time,  its  dreary  aspect  conjured  up  the  idea 
of  trap-doors  and  dungeons.  At  night  I  never 
passed  it  without  quickening  my  pace  and  looking 
sharply  about  me.  Yet  from  the  tax  gatherer  I 
learned  that  Mr.  Lydius  was  a  man  of  property  ; 
aiid  the  corporation,  as  a  testimonial  of  his  virtues, 
caused  his  name  to  be  painted  on  a  little  board  and 
fastened  up  at  the  corner  of  a  street  in  the  southern 

1  The  Pearl  street  door  is  said  to  have  been  used  only  for  the 
egress  of  the  dead.  The  orgies  of  a  Dutch  funeral  are  fast  reced- 
ing from  the  memory  of  the  living.  Few  remain  who  have  wit- 
nessed them.  The  records  of  the  church  show  the  expenses  of 
the  funerals  of  the  church  paupers  two  hundred  years  ago,  in  rum, 
beer,  tobacco,  pipes,  &c.  Videlicit  Munsell's  Ilidoricul  Collections 
of  Albany,  1,  40. 

16 


122  Recollections  of  Albany. 

section  of  the  city."^  It  is  not  improbable  that  his 
shade  is  at  this  moment  wandering  along  the  sea- 
resounding  dikes  in  the  land  of  his  ancestors  —  the 
once  proud  and  heroic  Holland ! 

THE  VISIT. 

Nothing  could  have  been  more  appropriate  than 
the  Christian  name  given  to  these  reminiscences, 
since  it  authorizes  the  writer  to  go  backward  or 
forward,  up  or  down,  to  the  right  or  left,  whichever 
way  the  capriciousness  of  memory  may  incline.  It 
relieves  him,  moreover,  from  the  necessity  of  observ- 
ing the  chronological  order  of  events,  or  of  paying 
indeed  any  sort  of  regard  to  time,  other  than  to 
keep  within  the -limits  prescribed  —  namely  —  the 
first  eight  years  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

Passing  down  North-pearl  street,  the  next  day 
after  my   arrival  in  the  city,  in  company  with  my 

1  The  street  was  named  in  honor  of  Rev.  John  Lydius,  who 
preached  here  from  1700  to  1709.  It  was  the  camp  ground  of  the 
British  armies  in  the  French  and  Indian  wars.  The  ancient 
church  pasture,  which  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Dutch 
church  in  1668,  was  laid  out  into  lots  in  1791,  and  sold  by- 
auction.  Tlie  streets  were  named  after  the  domines  or  ministers 
of  tliat  church.  Beginning  witli  Lydius  steeet  on  the  north,  tlien 
Westerlo,  Bassett,  Nucella  and  Jolinson,  running  parallel  with 
it.  Among  those  running  north  and  south  were  Dellius  (pronounced 
Dallius,  and  now  so  written),  from  Rev.  Godfrej^  Dell,  who  came 
over  in  1683;  Frelinghuysen,  now  Franklin,  and  Van  Schee. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  123 

friend,  Col.  Elisha  Jenkins  (with  wliom  I  had  been 
examining  the  topography,  antiquities  and  archi- 
tectural curiosities  of  the  town),  he  proposed  to  call 
and  see  an  old  friend  of  his,  whose  name  I  have 
forgotten,  but  whose  residence  I  remember  w^as  on 
the  left  hand  side,  two  or  three  blocks  from  State 
street.  It  was  to  my  eye  at  least,  a  queer  looking 
mansion.  It  had  all  the  venerable  marks  of  age, 
and  many  of  the  emblems  of  Amsterdam  stamped 
upon  its  face.  On  entering  we  were  conducted  by 
a  colored  female  servant  through  a  long,  dark  and 
narrow  hall,  into  a  dimly  lighted  room  in  the  rear. 
The  host  struck  me  as  somewhat  t)q3ical  of  the 
mansion.  He  was  an  aged  gentleman,  with  the 
fashions  of  other  days  sufficiently  apparent  in  his 
dress  and  address.  He  was  seated  in  a  huge  arm 
chair,  with  a  red  worsted  cap  on  his  head,  a  long, 
loose  gown  or  robe,  coming  down  to  his  ancles, 
silver  buckles  in  his  shoes,  and  one  foot  swathed  in 
flannel  resting  upon  a  stool. 

Though  frank  and  courteous  in  his  manner,  there 
was  yet  an  air  of  consequential  dignity  about  him, 
and  a  tone  of  authority  in  his  voice,  which  would 
have  suited  the  character  of  Henry  VIH.  He 
would  indeed  have  furnished  an  excellent  subject 
for  the  pencil  of  Hans  Holbein.  The  furred  robe, 
the  buckles  and  the  red  cap,  would  have  made  a 
figure  in  one  of  Hans's  pictures. 


124  Recollections  op  Albany. 

There  were  several  gentlemen  in  the  room  at  the 
time  of  our  entrance,  and  one  or  two  more  dropped 
in  afterwards.  The  principal  subject  of  conversation 
was  politics,  and  I  soon  perceived  they  were  all 
thorough  going  Jeffersonians.  The  recent  triumph 
of  their  party  had  put  them  in  high  spirits.  But 
I  was  particularly  struck  with  the  tone  and  manner 
of  the  old  gentleman.  I  had  never  before  witnessed 
so  much  freedom  and  hilarity  tempered  with  so 
much  courtesy.  Being  a  mere  lad  at  the  time,  I 
had,  of  course,  remained  silent.  The  old  gentleman 
perceiving  this  turned  to  me  and  said,  well  my  young 
friend,  which  side  are  you  ?  I  answered  that  I  was 
not  much  of  a  politician,  but  had  made  up  my  mind 
to  go  with  the  majority.  Ah  ha,  said  he,  older 
heads  than  yours  have  wisely  made  up  their  minds 
to  pursue  the  same  course.  This  I  thought  rather 
a  hit  at  my  friend  Col.  Jenkins,  who  had  but  recently 
joined  the  dominant  party.  The  old  man  now  turned 
to  a  tall,  quiet  sort  of  personage,  who  had  taken 
no  part  in  the  conversation,  and  said  in  a  loud  but 
familiar  tone,  Peter,  Peter,  we  are  becoming  rather 
dry,  make  us,  I  pray  you,  something  to  drink,  Peter. 
Peter  retired,  and  in  a  few  minutes  returned  with  a 
glass  pitcher  (or  rather  a  sort  of  two  quart  tumbler 
with  a  handle  to  it),  filled  to  the  brim,  which  he 
handed  to  the  old  gentleman   first,   who  had  no 


Recollections  of  Albany.  125 

sooner  taken  a  swallow  of  it  tlian  lie  called  out,  Ah, 
Peter,  Peter,  you  have  made  this  'pretty  ivell  to  the 
north,  I  can  tell  you  ;  but  hand  it  round  Peter,  hand 
it  round ;  and  round  it  went,  each  one  taking  a 
hearty  pull  at  it.  When  it  came  to  my  turn,  it  did 
not  pass  untasted,  for  I  was  curious  to  know  what 
it  was  made  of;  so  I  took  a  tiff  by  way  of  gaining 
knowledge,  as  Eve  took  the  apple.  I  found  it  a  sort 
of  spiced  and  sugared  grog,  or  what  I  believe  the 
learned  in  such  matters  would  call  rum  toddy. 

This  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  seen  a  company 
of  gentlemen  drink  out  of  the  same  cup.  It  was  the 
first  time,  too,  that  I  had  ever  heard  the  phrase  of 
"  too  far  to  the  north  "  used  as  a  substitute  for  the 
words  too  strong. 

But  I  was  in  a  new  latitude,  and  almost  every 
thing  I  heard  or  saw,  was  new  to  me.  The  old 
house,  the  dark  and  narrow  hall,  the  singular  appear- 
ance of  the  aged  host,  the  red  cap  and  silver  buckles, 
the  two  quart  tumbler,  and  even  the  grog  itself,  was 
new  to  me. 

The  whole  scene  was  many  years  afterwards 
brought  freshly  to  my  mind  by  reading  Hallcck's 
song  in  praise  of  the  beer  and  the  bucktails  of 
Tammany  Hall. 

I  shall  certainly  be  excused  for  inserting,  as  a  fit- 


126  Recollections  of  Albany. 

ting  close  totliis  article,  one  stanza  of  that  memorable 

jeu  11' esprit. 

"  That  beer  and  those  Bucktails  I'll  never  forget, 
But  oft  when  alone  and  unnoticed  by  all, 
I  think,  is  the  porter  cask  foaming  there  yet  ? 
Are  the  Bucktails  still  swigging  at  Tammany  Hall?" 

FREi^cH  polite:n^ess. 

In  tlie  course  of  one  of  our  evening  conversations 
the  old  marquis  remarked  that  the  English,  as  a 
nation,  had  no  just  notions  of  politeness  ;  and  this 
he  attributed  to  the  all-pervading  influence  of  the 
mercantile  and  trading  character  of  the  people. 
The  Americans,  he  said,  though  more  civil  than  the 
English,  imitated  or  adopted  their  forms  and  ceremo- 
nies. In  France  no  gentleman  addressed  another 
with  his  hat  on,  whether  in-doors  or  out.  In 
America,  as  in  England,  you  touch  the  hat,  instead  of 
uncovering,  as  true  politeness  dictates.  This,  said  he, 
is  never  seen  in  France,  except  in  the  army,  and 
even  there  the  practice  is  confined  to  subalterns. 
But  in  cold  and  stormy  weather,  said  I,  inquiringly. 
'Tis  all  the  same,  continued  the  marquis,  politeness 
is  a  code  by  which  we  regulate  our  conduct,  and  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  weather.  It  takes  no  lessons 
from  convenience.  It  cannot  be  changed  or  modi- 
fied by  any  external  circumstance.  'Tis  very  well, 
said  I  to  myself,  we  shall  see  how  the  thing  will 


Recollections  of  Albany.  127 

work.  I  shall  avail  myself  of  the  first  opportunity 
to  test  the  theory  of  this  polite  code  by  reducing  it 
to  practice. 

]^ot  long  after,  in  passing  down  State  street  in 
the  midst  of  a  violent  snow  storm,  I  saw  at  some 
distance  ahead,  the  tall  form  of  the  old  marquis, 
slowly  approaching  in  a  zig-zag  line,  —  the  snow 
driving  so  furiously  in  his  face  as  to  oblige  him 
every  now  and  then  to  tack  and  veer  a  little  from 
his  direct  course,  to  enable  him  to  take  breath. 
Now,  said  I,  is  the  time,  and  this  the  fitting  occasion, 
to  test  the  virtue  of  that  polite  code,  of  which  the 
old  gentleman  was  so  recently  speaking.  Accord- 
ingly, before  we  came  within  ten  yards  of  each 
other,  I  pulled  off  my  hat  with  an  air  of  politeness 
seldom  witnessed  in  northern  latitudes.  The  old 
marquis  recognized  the  signal,  and  doffed  his  beaver 
at  the  same  moment.  As  we,  met,  we  came,  of  course 
to  a  full  stop  —  both  uncovered^  as  the  code  of  polite- 
ness dictated.  Fortunately,  neither  of  us  had  an 
umbrella  —  and  the  total  absence  of  any  sort  of  pro- 
tection against  the  elements,  rendered  our  courtesy 
more  conspicuous.  In  our  salutations  and  greet- 
ings, we  went  deliberately  through  all  the  forms  — 
shaking  hands  with  the  utmost  politeness  and 
cordiality,  bowing  right  and  left  at  the  same  time, 
with   many  very  sincere  assurances  of  pleasure   at 


128  Recollections  of  Albany. 

the  happy  meeting.  I  made  a  point  of  honor  to  be 
particularly  deliberate  in  my  compliments  and 
enquiries  —  Madame,  the  children,  Kate  and  Csesar, 
were  all  duly  remembered.  But  no  remark  about 
the  weather  escaped  either  of  us.  The  weather  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  code,  and  we  had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  weather.  People  in  the  mean  time 
were  looking  out  of  their  shop  windows  at  us,  and 
watching  our  polite  ceremonies  with  perfect  astonish- 
ment. But  there  we  stood,  in  the  midst  of  the 
drifting  snow,  as  unconcerned  as  if  it  had  been  a 
summer's  morning,  bowing  and  scraping,  with  our 
eyes  and  ears  filled  with  the  drift,  and  our  hair  fro- 
zen into  wisps  and  whistling  in  the  wind.  But  we 
paid  no  attention  to  such  small  matters,  nor  to  the 
people  in  the  shops,  who,  from  the  very  politeness 
of  our  movements,  began  seriously  to  suspect  that 
we  were  in  reality  cracked :  for  the  Albanians,  being 
mostly  Dutch,  had  in  truth  but  little  better  notions 
of  politeness  than  the  English  themselves.  After  a 
while,  however  —  after  having  exhausted  the  whole 
budget  of  compliments  and  talked  over  the  news  of 
the  day;  after  having  touched  upon  the  prolific 
topic  of  Buonaparte  and  the  Bourbons,  and  discussed 
the  merits  of  French  and  English  literature.  Pope, 
Boileau,  Fenelon,  Massillon  and  Moliere,  we  pre- 
pared to  take  leave ;  and  having  made  our  several 


*        Recollections  of  Albany.  129 

bows  and  conges,  we  thumped  the  snow  out  of  our 
hats,  and  repeating  the  usual  parting  phrase,  au 
plaisir,  monsieur,"  without  further  ceremony,  separat- 
ed, and  resumed  our  respective  courses — Iscudding 
before  the  gale  under  bare  poles  down  the  street, 
the  old  marquis,  brailed  and  buttoned  to  the  chin, 
beating  slowly  to  windward  up  the  hill ! 

Though  the  old  gentleman,  during  the  t^te  a  tele, 
suffered  no  sign  of  impatience  to  escape  him,  yet 
I  strongly  suspect  he  must  have  wished  the  whole 
theory  of  civilization,  the  special  code,  and  his  polite 
pupil,  to  the  devil,  forty  times  over,  before  we 
parted ! 


THE  MARQUIS'S  PUPILS. 
It  was  reasonably  to  have  been  expected,  that 
before  closing  these  reminiscences  I  should  give 
some  further  account  of  the  young  gentlemen  who, 
under  the  pretext  of  studying  French,  but  in  reality 
from  motives  of  charity  and  the  novelty  of  the  thing, 
became  pupils  of  the  marquis,  and  boarders  at  the 
Hotel  Du  Barraille.  It  was  my  intention  to  give 
a  full  length  portrait  of  each  and  every  member  of 
that  celebrated  school,  but,  upon  reflection,  it  would 
occupy  more  time  than  I  can  now  spare,  and  more 

space  than  my  present  canvass  will  admit.     Besides, 
17 


130  Eecollections  of  Albany. 

tlie  time  has  gone  by,  when  such  an  exhibition 
would  be  interesting.  Many  of  them  have  long 
since  passed  away,  and  few  remain,  to  whom  their 
features  would  be  familiar.  The  light  that  shone 
in  their  chambers  is  extinguished  —  their  halls  are 
desolate — their  dwellings  are  dark!  I  shall  there- 
fore content  myself  by  collecting  a  few  loose  stones 
to  set  up  in  this  place  (after  the  manner  of  the  pa- 
triarchs of  old),  as  a  memorial  of  their  good-fellow- 
ship, and  as  a  testimony  to  their  whimsicalities 
forever !  In  other  words,  I  shall  furnish  the  reader 
with  a  brief  compilation  of  their  personal  peculiar- 
ities, tastes,  talents  and  acquirements :  and  if  this 
should  fail  to  perpetuate  their  memories,  it  will  be 
the  fault  of  the  compiler,  and  not  of  the  materials 
from  which  it  is  complied. 

Their  names  on  the  muster  roll  of  the  school 
were  ranged  in  alphabetical  order,  and  by  a  singu- 
lar coincidence,  their  talents  were  found  to  corre- 
spond with  their  rank  or  position  on  the  roll — 
descending  the  lettered  ladder  by  regular  gradation 
from  A  to  K,  inclusive.  I  shall  speak  of  them  in 
the  same  order,  and  as  briefly  as  is  compatible  with 
the  courtesy  due  to  old  acquaintance,  or  as  may  be 
consistent  with  a  just  enumeration  of  their  various 
qualities. 

Mr.  A  was  a  good  English  scholar,  had  a  smat- 


Recollections  of  Albany.  131 

tering  of  Latin,  was  master  of  the  French  and 
familiar  with  all  its  dialects  —  patois,  Creole  and 
Canadian.  "Wrote  poetry,  read  German,  and  spoke 
Dutch.  Was  a  good  sailor,  skilled  in  nautical  lore 
and  learned  in  its  technicalities  —  understood  the 
theory  of  gun  boats  as  well  as  Mr.  Jefierson  him- 
self, and  could  manage  a  canoe  to  perfection.  He 
was  a  skillful  angler,  foil  of  piscatory  science,  and 
familiar  with  all  its  tackling — poles  and  hooka 
and  flies  !  He  had  a  taste  for  drawing  and  paint- 
ing —  knew  Shakespeare  by  heart  —  studied  medi- 
cine, read  the  psalms,  and  played  upon  the  fi.ddle. 
He  was,  moreover,  a  great  sportsman  and  a  capital 
shot  —  knew  all  about  double  barrel  and  single 
barrel,  in  cover  or  on  the  wing.  Knew  the  habits 
of  all  sorts  of  game  —  wild  goose,  duck,  plover, 
woodcock,  snipe,  hedge  hog,  fox  and  bear.  Knew 
all  the  points  of  a  horse,  and  spoke  the  classic  lan- 
guage of  the  turf  as  fluently  as  his  mother  tongue. 
Was  fond  of  dogs  (as  dogs  were  of  him)  but  detested 
puppies.  He  was  also  a  perfect  master  of  fence  — 
broad  sword,  small  sword,  quarter  stafl"and  cudgel. 
Knew  something  of  mathematics,  and  something 
also  of  music  —  was  a  great  mimic,  a  great  quiz, 
and  could  tell  a  story  better  than  any  other  man 
living.  In  addition  to  these  few  particulars,  I  may 
add,  that  he  was  a  gentleman  in  every  aspect  —  in 


132  Eecollections  of  Albany. 

feeling,  address  and  manner — tlaat  lie  always  walked 
with  a  cane,  and  was  always  accompanied  by  Sweet- 
heart, Blanche  and  Tray. 

Mr.  B  understood  men  and  tilings  in  general, 
and  politicians  in  particular,  better  than  any  other 
member  of  the  club.  He  was  something  of  a  writer 
and  something  of  a  reader.  He  had  a  taste  for 
satire,  a  great  flow  of  animal  spirits,  some  wit  and 
a  good  memory.  Was  fond  of  poetry,  music,  fun, 
trigonometry  and  backgammon.  Was  a  great 
talker,  but  talked  well.  A  good  listener,  but  im- 
patient of  folly.  His  strength  lay  in  his  good  sense 
—  his  weakness  in  an  undue  fondness  for  poetry. 
He  was  a  good  judge  of  character,  and  knew  every 
body's  weak  side  but  his  0"um.  He  was  in  short  a 
man  of  business  with  a  literary  taste  —  uneducated, 
but  well  read  —  quick  in  his  perceptions,  just  in  his 
conclusions,  ready,  apt,  and  of  a  lively  imagination. 

Mr.  C  was  a  hard  student,  well  educated,  well 
informed  —  had  a  full  share  of  common  sense,  but 
no  wit,  no  tact,  no  taste  —  was  no  lover  of  music 
or  of  poetry.  Had  no  objection  to  fun,  provided 
the  unities  of  time  and  ])lace  were  obsei'ved.  His 
knowledge  was  respectable,  sound,  useful.  He 
belonged  to  the  school  of  utilitarians  —  out  of  that 
pale  he  never  traveled  but  against  his  vnW.  He 
was  fond  of  argument  and  a  good  dinner  of  lob- 


Recollections  of  Albany.  133 

sters,  logic,  and  law.  He  loved  prudence,  economy, 
new  cider,  green  peas,  and  a  beef  steak  garnished 
with  onions.  On  the  other  hand,  he  had  an  uncon- 
querable dislike  to  a  tailor's  bill,  a  beggar,  and  a 
cat !  He  was,  however,  a  reliable  man,  punctual, 
regular,  methodical,  and  as  upright  as  a  doric 
column. 

Mr.  D  was  perhaps  the  best  educated,  certainly 
the  most  accomplished  of  all  the,  marquis's  scho- 
lars. He  had,  moreover,  the  reputation  of  being 
the  handsomest  man  in  the  city.  He  had  a  fine 
face,  a  fine  tone  of  voice,  an  admirable  form,  agree- 
able manners,  an  easy  lounging  gait,  and  great 
good  humor.  He  dressed  well,  danced  well,  was 
particularly  fond  of  music,  and  though  he  could 
not  distinguish  one  tune  from  another,  was  capi- 
tal in  a  chorus.  He  was  somewhat  indolent,  but 
good  hearted,  liberal,  unafifected,  and  unpretending. 
He  gave  himself  but  little  concern  about  the  ordi- 
nary concerns  of  life,  and  with  the  extraordinary  he 
had  nothing  to  do. 

He  was  fresh  from  college,  and  of  course  pro- 
foundly read  and  liberally  learned.  He  knew  the 
first  three  lines  of  Virgil  by  heart  —  knew  some- 
thing of  Cornelius  JSTepos,  and  something  of  Ccesar. 
Had  heard  of  Demosthenes,  of  Homer  and  Hero- 
dotus, perhaps  of  Xenophon  and  Xerxes,  of  Plato, 
and  of  Plutarch.     But  the  ancients  did  not,  I  be- 


134  Recollections  of  Albany. 

leive,  occupy  all  liis  tliouglits  —  he  loved  the 
younger  and  the  gayer  world.  He  loved  wit,  he  loved 
music,  and  what  is  more  to  the  purpose,  he  loved 
fim  in  all  its  endless  varieties,  forms  and  phases : 
And  to  this  last  article  he  contributed  his  full  share ; 
he  added  largely  to  its  capital  stock,  and  still  more 
liberally  to  its  circulation. 

Mr.  E  was  one  of  those  polite  and  quiet  men 
who  win  their  way  by  gentleness,  rather  than  by 
force.  "What  others  claimed  as  a  matter  of  right, 
he  received  as  a  special  favor.  Though  uninitiated 
in  party  politics,  and  indifferent  to  the  rule  by 
which  the  right  is  determined,  he  nevertheless  went 
with  the  majority.  He  was  always  with  the  many, 
never  with  the  few.  He  admired  power,  strength, 
wealth,  dress,  fashion,  taste  and  show.  He  paid  the 
profoundest  deference  and  respect  to  men  in  high 
stations,  and  wisely  measured  their  talents  by  their 
rank.  His  knowledge  was  rather  exact  than  exten- 
sive, but  his  good  nature,  politeness  and  courtesy, 
knew  no  bounds.  His  colloquial  powers  were  not 
great,  but  he  was  an  excellent  listener,  and  laughed 
at  every  joke,  whether  he  understood  it  or  not.  He 
took  no  part  in  any  sharp  discussion,  trod  upon  no 
man's  toes,  and  differed  with  no  man  in  opinion,  at 
least  not  audibly.  He  sung  a  good  song,  took  les- 
sons in  dancing,  wore  kid  gloves,  and  played  upon 


Eecollections  of  Albany.  135 

the  flute.  "With  such  a  happy  temper  of  mind,  and 
such  amiable  qualities,  it  would  be  needless  to  say 
that  he  was  a  universal  favorite. 

Though  there  was  much  in  the  character  of  Mr. 
E  to  which  a  proud  mind  would  object,  yet  I  must 
confess  that  I  looked  upon  it  with  some  degree  of 
admiration,  and  occasionally  with  a  feeling  border- 
ing upon  envy.  He  was  certainly  the  most  amiable, 
and  by  far  the  most  popular  man  in  the  club. 

Mr.  F  made  no  pretensions  to  scholarship,  of  any 
kind.  He  knew  nothing  of  Greek,  Latin,  French 
or  German.  He  had  read  but  little  beyond  the 
Pentateuch,  day  book  and  ledger.  But  he  had  good 
sense,  good  nature,  and  mother  wit  in  abundance. 
It  may  easily  be  imagined  that  he  had  no  taste  for 
poetry  and  no  skill  in  music.  Yet,  like  Mr.  D,  his 
voice  was  admirable  in  a  chorus.  He  borrowed 
nothing  from  others,  nothing  from  books.  His 
powers  and  resources  were  all  his  own.  He  uttered 
nothing  that  smelt  of  the  lamp  —  though  it  some- 
times had  the  flavor  of  the  shop.  Ease,  humor,  droll- 
ery, a  love  of  wit  and  a  love  of  fun,  characterized 
his  social  intercourse.  He  was  perpetually  saying 
good  things,  and  sometimes,  I  used  to  think,  with- 
out knowing  it.  He  was,  in  short,  not  only  witty 
himself,  but  the  cause  of  wit  in  others.  A  better 
hearted  man  never  lived. 


136  Eecollections  of  Albany. 

Mr.  G  was,  in  one  sense,  the  lion  of  the  club.  He 
was,  indeed,  one  of  a  thousand  !  in  other  words, 
a  most  singular  character,  a  most  perfect  original. 
He  possessed  one  quality,  one  single  trait,  com- 
posed partly  of  mind  and  partly  of  manner,  which, 
like  Aaron's  rod,  swallowed  up  all  the  rest.  It  was 
assuranee —  or,  more  correctly  speaking,  iinpudence  ! 
which,  but  for  its  unbounded  excess,  would  have 
been  offensive,  if  not  intolerable.  It  was  neither. 
It  was  indeed  so  striking,  so  transcendental,  as 
seemingly  to  partake  of  the  character  of  genius. 
It  seemed,  in  him,  to  lose  the  vulgarity  of  its  nature 
and  to  operate  like  wit.  Its  exhibition  was  indeed 
almost  always  followed  by  a  roar  of  laughter. 

The  voice,  the  eye,  the  whole  face,  indeed  the 
whole  man,  was  the  expressive  type  of  cold,  impas- 
sive, unabashed  and  unabashable  impudence.  Yet 
it  had  weight,  it  had  character,  it  had  influence. 
It  was  surprising,  astonishing,  amusing.  l!^otwith- 
standing  the  absurdity  of  the  assertion,  proposition 
or  speech,  in  which  this  peculiar  trait  was  embodied, 
it  was  so  strengthened  and  sustained  by  the  air  of 
confidence  with  which  it  was  uttered,  that  you 
were  led  to  doubt  for  a  moment  the  correctness  of 
your  own  conclusions,  thinking  it  possible  there 
might  be  in  it  something  more  than  appeared  upon 
the  face  of  the  record. 


Recollections  of  Albany.  137 

He  "was  not,  however,  altogether  destitute  of 
other  and  more  agreeable  qualities,  but  they  were 
lost  in  the  blaze  of  the  virtue  we  have  attempted 
to  describe.  He  was  rather  good  natured  than 
otherwise,  full  of  crochets  and  inventions  provoca- 
tive of  mirth,  and  to  one  who  sought  amusement 
only,  was  an  agreeable  companion. 

He  had  received  a  college  education,  and  could 
write  his  name  ! 

Mr.  H  was  a  gentleman  in  every  respect,  but 
without  any  strong  points  of  cahracter,  preculiari- 
ties,  faults  or  follies.  He  played  an  excellent  game 
of  whist,  talked  to  his  horse,  read  Ossian  and  the 
Canticles,  loved  music,  and  entered  cordially  into 
all  the  amusements  of  the  club. 

Mr.  I  was  placed  by  ballot  at  the  head  of  the 
table  as  carver  and  master  of  ceremonies,  which 
station  (particularly  when  there  was  no  company 
present  and  the  principal  dish  was  a  cutlet  of  liver 
or  a  bowl  of  soup)  he  filled  with  distinguished 
ability. 

Mr.  K,  the  last  name  upon  the  muster  roll  of  the 
school  —  the  least  and  the  humblest,  I  shall  leave 
to  the  imagination  of  the  reader.  It  does  not  be- 
come me  to  draw  my  own  portrait. 

I^ow,  it  would  be  doing  great  injustice  to  the 
marquis's  pupils,  to  dismiss  them  with  such  a  bare 
18 


138  Eecollections  of  Albany. 

and  skeleton-like  enumeration  of  their  tastes  and 
qualities,  as  js  presented  in  the  foregoing  sketches. 
From  such  loose  outlines  and  unconnected  details 
their  real  characters  cannot  justly  be  inferred.  The 
union  of  such  elements  might  or  might  not  have 
been  favorable.  The  moral  aspect,  the  combined 
influence,  the  general  result  is  still  wanting.  That 
result,  in  my  judgment,  was  highly  creditable. 

That  there  was  much  social  freedom,  wild  wit, 
humor,  song,  and  youthful  jollity  among  them,  I 
readily  admit :  but  there  was  a  counterpoise  to  this 
—  there  was  something  higher  and  better.  There 
was  a  high  sense  of  honor,  a  pride  of  character  — 
ambition,  emulation,  and  effort.  There  was  much 
close  and  varied  reading,  much  laborious  study. 
More  than  one  language  was  cultivated,  more  than 
one  species  of  knowledge  acquired.  Composition 
was  practiced,  and  poetry  studied  as  an  art  — 
the  latter  was  indeed  assiduously  cultivated  as  a 
vehicle  of  satire  and  of  wit.  A  sufficient  know- 
ledge of  French  was  obtained,  by  those  who  pur- 
sued the  study,  to  read  and  translate  it  with  ease. 
To  speak  it  was  found  to  be  a  very  different  thing  — 
the  time  was  too  short,  the  opportunities  too  few  — 
it  was,  in  fact,  commenced  too  late  in  the  day.  But 
the  door  to  French  literature  was  opened,  and  to 
be  able  to  read  Moliere  in  the  original,  even  if  no- 


Eecollections  of  Albany.  139 

tiling  else  had  been  gained,  was  worth,  all  the  time 
we  spent  at  the  school. 

In  all  these  various  studies  and  pursuits,  as  well 
as  in  all  the  amusements  of  the  club,  good  man- 
ners, good  habits,  and  a  gentlemanly  tone  of  feeling 
were  observed.  Temperance,  notwithstanding  the 
goblets  that  occasionally  figured  in  our  songs,  was 
the  order  of  the  day  — the  voluntary,  unpledged 
habit  of  each  and  of  all.  We  should  as  soon  have 
thought  of  sharpening  our  wits  by  profanity  as  of 
drawing  our  inspiration  from  the  glass. 


ERRATUM. 
Page  19,  note,  for  Mini-housen,  read  MincAhousen. 


INDEX. 


Adams,  John  Quincy,  88. 

Albany,  in  1800,  20,  23  ;  popu- 
lation at  diiierent  periods,  20 , 
in  1695,  22 ;  beef  (sturgeon), 
24;  inveterately  Dutch,  27; 
chamber  of  commerce,  49 ; 
trade  with  the  far  west,  50 ; 
churches  in  1700,  74  ;  in  1803, 
80 ;  Gazette,  72 ;  Register, 
71,  72. 

Alexander,  Joseph,  49. 

Ames,  Ezra,  41. 

Anglo-American  type,  112. 

Annals  of  Albany,  71. 

Apothecary's  Hall,  120. 

Arbor  Hill,  44. 

Armstrong,  John,  86. 

Arnold,  Gen.,  45. 

Ash-Grove  church,  53. 

Assemblies,  city,  34,  35,  36,  38. 

Bank  of  Albany,  66,  83 ;  presi- 
dent of,  43,  44,  56. 

Banyar,  Goldsborough,  112,118. 

Barber,  John,  73;  Robert,  71, 
73. 

Barnard,  Daniel  D.,  43. 

Bassett  street,  122. 

Battle  in  State  street,  78. 

Bell  of  the  old  church,  120. 

Benedict,  Lewis,  49. 

Bleeckers,  45 ;  Harmanus,  99  ; 
Jan  Jansen,  99. 

Bloodgood,  Francis,  78,  79. 

Boileau,  128. 

Bourbons,  128. 

Boyd,  John  I.,  48;  Teter,  48. 

Bradford,  John  Melancthon,  75. 

Brass  knocker,  24. 

Broad  street  opened,  53. 


Broome,  Lieut.  Gov.,  09. 
Buckingham,  traveler,  43. 
Buonaparte,  128;  Jerome,  86. 
Burgoyne,  Gen.,  59,  60. 
Burnet,  Gov.,  57. 
Burr,  Aaron,  86. 
Caesar,  128. 
Caldwell,  James,   91 ;  town  of, 

97;  William,  97. 
Camp-ground,  122. 
Canada  invaded,  45. 
Canal  bank,  50. 
Caps,  red  worsted,  25. 
Chamber  of  commerce,  49. 
Champlin,  John,  79. 
Chandler,  Col.  John,  81. 
Chicago,  trade  with,  50. 
Churches,  first  in  Albanj^  74. 
Cincinnati,  Recollections  of,  vi. 
Clarke,  Walter,  49,  96. 
Clinton,  Col.  Charles,   69 ;    De 

Witt,  64,  69,  86 ;  George,  57, 

69. 
Clowes,  Rev.  Timothy,  118. 
Cohoes,  20. 

Congregational  church,  74. 
Congress  Hall,  82. 
Conspiracy   of  the  nobles,  36, 

37. 
Cooper,  Dr.  Charles  D.,  78,  79; 

Mrs.,  78. 
Corning,  Erastus,  48,  49. 
Cornwallis,  81. 
Delavan,  Edward  C,  47;  Henry 

AV.,  47  ;  House,  45. 
Delfthaven  pilgrims,  30. 
Dell,  Rev.  Godfrey,  122. 
Detroit  river,  26 ;-  trade  with, 

50. 


142 


INDEX. 


DeWitt,  Simeon,  41,  79. 

Dickinson,  Benjamin,  47. 

Douglass,  Alfred,  50. 

Douws,  45. 

DuBarraille,  Marquis,  101. 

Dummer,  Geoi'ge,  49,  50,  51. 

Dutch  Churcli,  Middle,  39; 
North,  25 ;  old,  28,  30,  39, 
40 ;  funerals,  121. 

Dutchmen,  smoking,  26. 

Eagle  Tavern,  82. 

Eclipse  of  1806,  41. 

Elm  tree,  25. 

English  travelers,  traits  of,  19. 

Episcopal  church  built,  39. 

Erie  Lake,  26. 

Etsbergers,  24. 

Fearon  traveler,  19. 

Fenelon,  128. 

First  Presbyterian  church,  48, 

Foote,  Ebenezer,  79. 

Fort  Edward,  58. 

Fort  Orange,  28. 

Fort  Stanwix,  view  of,  45,  58. 

Fort  Winnebago,  trade  with,  50. 

Fox  creek,  104. 

Franklin  and  Van  Schee,  122. 

Freedoms  of  the  city,  32  ;  form 
of,  33. 

Frelinghuysen,  now  Franklin 
street,  122. 

French  politeness,  126. 

Front  doors,  24. 

Fur  traders,  20. 

Gansevoort,  Gen.  Peter,  45. 

Garrot,  Monsieur,  87. 

Gates,  Gen.,  59. 

Genet,  Edmond  Charles,  70. 

Giles,  Mr.,  93. 

Gold.  Thomas  R.,  79. 

Gould,  Job,  47  ;  Thomas,  47,48. 

Green  Bay,  trade  with,  50. 

Gregory  &  Co.,  50. 

Gregory,  Ezra,  80,  87 ;  House, 
81  ;  Lieut.,  82  ;  Dea.  Mat- 
thew, 80,  81,  84  ;  Moses,  81 ; 
Matthew,  vi,  93,  94,  95. 

Gutters  introduced,  81. 

Hale,  Daniel,  46. 

Hall,  traveler,  19. 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  64,  86. 


Hats,  cocked,  25. 

Heni-y,  JohnV.,  70, 

Ilochstrasser,  Jacob,  45  ;  Paul, 
45. 

Hodges  dock,23. 

Holbein,  Hans,  123. 

Hotel  Du  Barraille,  129. 

Howe,  Lord,  57. 

Hudson,  Recollections  of,  v. 

Huguenots  of  France,  55  ;  pro- 
tected, 30. 

Huron  Lake,  26. 

Hutton,  Isaac,  49  ;  George,  49. 

Improvements  began,  39. 

Irving,  Washington,  35. 

Jamestown,  21. 

James,  William,  46. 

Jay,  Gov.,  62. 

Jefferson's  election,  17,  18,  74. 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  17  ;  called 
the  Great  Apostle,  18 ;  his 
election  an  epoch,  18  ;  com- 
pared with  John  Tyler,  96. 

Jenkins,  Col.  Elisha,  70,  78, 
79,  123,  124. 

Jersey  City  Glass  Works,  50. 

Jimmy  Kane's  walk,  53. 

Johnson,  Dr.,  87;  street,  122; 
Sir  John,  58. 

Jones,  Ignatius,  vii,  93. 

Kane,  James,  46,  51,  52,  53, 
54,  55,  79,  96. 

Kate,  128. 

Kent,  James,  66,  69. 

Knickerbackers,  orthography 
and  derivation  of  the  name, 
35. 

Knickerbocker  history,  35,  44. 

Knower,  Benjamin,  51, 

La  Fayette,  Gen.,  82;  head- 
quarters, 24. 

Lake  George,  97 ;  expedition 
down,  57. 

Lambert,  John,  84. 

Lansingburgh,  84. 

Lansings,  45,  56. 

Lansing,  Abraham  G.,  64,  70; 
Chancellor,  61,  63,  69  ;  John 
Jr.,  33,  63,  69. 

Levies,  Schuyler  captain  of, 
57. 


INDEX. 


143 


Lewis,    Morgan,    8G ;    Robert, 

115  ;   Stewart,  115  ;   Tavern, 

115. 
Liquors  excluded   at   Tontine, 

82,  85. 
Livingston,  Chancellor,  86. 
Lydius,  Balthazar,    119;    Rev. 

John,  120,   121,   122;  street, 

122. 
Lyme,  47,  48. 
Mackinac,  26. 

McNaughton,  Dr.  Peter,  47. 
Madison,  M.,  82. 
Maiden  Lane,  23. 
Marcy,  'Williani  L.,  47. 
Marryat,  traveler,  19. 
Marvin,  Alexander,  47 ;  John, 

47;  Richard,  47;   Uriah,  47 ; 

William.  47. 
Mason,  Dr.,  86. 
Massilon,  128. 
Mather,  Thomas,  48. 
Mayflower,  30. 
Mechanics  and  Farmers'  Bank, 

V,  52,  73. 
Mentz,  Sebastiana  Cornelia,  99. 
Merchants,  principal,  45,  46. 
Michigan,  trade  with,  50. 
Middletown,  Ct.,  48. 
Minkhousen,  19,  read  Minchhou- 

sen. 
Mohawk  river,  26. 
Moliere,  128. 

Montgomery,    Gen.,    45 ;    suc- 
ceeds Schuyler,  57. 
Munchausen,  Baron,  19. 
Munchoff,  chaplain,  19. 
Newman,  Henry,  49. 
New  Netherland,  44. 
New  York,  first  governor,  99. 
New  York   State  Bank,   v,  48, 

G6,  69. 
North  Dutch  Church,  23. 
North-market  street,  northern 

limit  of,  44. 
North  Pearl  street,  24,  25. 
Norton,  John  T.,  49. 
Nott,  Dr.  Eliphalet,  vi,  74,  75, 

76. 
Nucella  street,  122. 
Olcott,  Thomas  W.,  v,  43,  44. 


Old  people,  119. 
Oneida  lake,  26. 
Ontario  lake,  26. 
Orphan  Asylum.  83. 
Oswego,  26. 
Patroons,  116. 
Pemberton's  corner,  29. 
Peter,  114,   115,  116,  117,  124, 

125. 
Piatt,  Ananias,  84. 
Politeness,  French,  126. 
Pontiac,  trade  with,  80. 
Pope,  158. 

Potter,  Bishop  Alonzo,  53. 
Presbyterian  church,  74. 
Protestants  of  the  Netherlands, 

55. 
Pruyns,  45. 
Puifendorf,  26. 
Pulpit,  ancient,  30. 
Puritans  of  New  England,  55. 
Quay  street,  23. 
Raymond,  B.  C,  48. 
Reckhows,  24. 
Robison,  John,  92. 
Rochefaucault-Liancourt,  74. 
Rochelle,  30. 

Roger's   Biographical   Diction- 
ary, 45. 
Romaine,  Rev.,  75. 
Saginaw  bay,  26. 
St.  Clair,  Gen.,  90;  river,  26. 
St.  Leger,  45. 
Sanders  &  Ogden,  49. 
Sault    St.   Marie,    trade   with, 

50. 
Schaets,  Rev.  Gideon,  119. 
Schuylers,  56. 
Schuyler,  Cathai'ina,  61  ;    Col. 

Peter,  56;  Col.    Philip,    57; 

Gen.  Philip,   56,   61,  64,   58, 

59;  Mrs.,  60. 
Sedgwick,  Theodore,  98. 
Senegambia,  99. 
Skeensborough  creek,  58. 
Southwick,  Solomon,  71,  72. 
Spencer    Ambrose,    69 ;    John, 

48,  49. 
Specht's  regiment,  19. 
Spouts  abolished,  31,  32,  33. 
Staatses,  45. 


144 


INDEX. 


Staats  House,  27. 
Stages,  early,  84. 
Stafford,   John,   49 ;    Spencer, 

48,  49. 
Stanton,  George  W.,  47. 
State  dock,  23. 
State  street,  state  of,  33  ;  paved, 

34;  battle  in,  78. 
Stevensen,    John,    56 ;    House, 

56. 
Stewart,  Gilbert,  47. 
Street's    Council   of    Revision, 

64,  69. 
Streets  named  from  the  domi- 

nes,  122. 
Stringer,  Dr.,  24. 
Sturgeon,    eagerness    for,    24 ; 

slip,  24. 
Stuyvesant  Landing,  49. 
Tammany  Hall,  12. 
Taverns.  80. 

Tayler,  John,  69,  78,  79. 

Ten  Broecks,  65. 

Ten  Broeck,  Abraham,  43,  44  ; 

Dirk,  44. 
Te  n  Eycks,  45. 
Ticonderoga,  fortress  of,  58 
Tillotson,  Thomas,  70.. 
Tompkins,    Daniel   D.,  69,    86. 

Tontine  Coffee  House,   54,  80, 
84. 

Townsend,  Isaiah,  40,  49. 

Trotter's  alley,  48. 

Troy  stage,  84. 

Troy,  Reminiscences  of,  70,120. 

Tucker  &  Crawford,  48. 

Two     steepled      Church      (see 
Dutch  Church). 

Tyler,  John.  06. 

Uncle  Sam's  figures,  21. 

Van  Benthuysen,  C,  v. 

Van  Buren,  Martin,  56. 

Vanderheyden    mansion,    120. 

Van  Loons,  45, 

Van  Loon,  Peter,  49. 


45. 

Col.,  42;   John, 


Van  Rensselaer,  Elizabeth,  44; 

Gen.,     79  ;     Jeremiah,    43  ; 

Solomon,    78,    79 ;    Stephen, 

43,  44. 

Van  Schaicks, 

Van  Schaick, 

79. 
Van  Schelluyne,  Cornelius,  44  ; 

Dirk,  44. 
Van  Twiller,  Sir  Wouter,  26. 
Van  Vechtens,  56. 
Van  Vechten,  Abraham,  01,  62, 

70,  79. 
Vossenkil,  104. 
Walsh,  Dudley,  46. 
Watering  place,  23. 
Watson,  Elkanah,  33  ;    elected 

constable,  32,  34. 
Webb  &  Dummer,  49. 
AVebb,  Henry  L.,  -50;  H.  L.  and 
C.  B.,  50;  John  H.,  48;  J.  H. 
and  H.  L.,  49. 
Webster's  corner,  25. 
Wendell,  Anna,  61  ;  Dr.  Peter, 

82  ;  Gen.  John  H.,  42. 
Westerlo,  Rev.   E.,  24;    street, 

122  :  street  extended,  53. 
Willard,  Dr.  S.  D,,  vi. 
Williams,  Elisha,  79. 
Willows  on  the  dock,  24. 
Wilson,  John  Q.,  vi. 
AVindows,  stained,  30. 
Wing,   Dr.   Joel  A.,  84;  Mat- 
thew Gregory,  83. 
AVood  creek,  58. 
AA^oodworth,  John,  70,  79. 
Wooster,  Gen.,  58. 
Worth,  Gorham  A.,  v. 
AA'yckoff,  Isaac  N.,  49. 
AA'ynantskil,  48. 
Yankies  in  possession,  33. 
Yateses,  56. 
Yates,  chief  justice,   64  ; 

A^an  Ness,  65:    John  W.,  66  ; 
Robert,  64,  65. 


John 


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